How to Make Corned Beef and Cabbage

This really should read how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, at home. We don’t need to tell you how to find a local Irish pub to down some Guinness and eat some traditional fare… that’s pretty easy, depending on where you live. It is, however, very fun to celebrate at home with your family. Growing up, my mother made a big deal out of this holiday. She was one of nine kids, in a family that was raised in a very Catholic Irish-American household, even though they had lots of other ethnicities in them as well. They didn’t grow up with a whole lot of money, and like them, many other large Irish American families that came over to the New York City area were large and suffering, so they decided to make this very cheap and relatively easy meal as the base for the celebration.

Dec282018

4 Tips To Playing Basketball For The First Time

Basketball is a great sport that is loved by people of all ages and abilities. This sport can be played all year round as a competitive game or casually at a local court. Basketball is great for your health and it’s a perfect workout since it involves your entire body. The jumping and running aspect of the game will help you stay fit, shed a few extra kilos and boost mental development.

Playing basketball for the first time can be both challenging and exciting. As a beginner, where do you start? How do you prepare?

Here are 4 tips to playing basketball for the first time.

Jul252017

4 Tips to Using a Rowing Machine

With the latest innovations and breakthroughs technology has enjoyed over the decades, the fitness industry has benefited a lot since then. In the past, fitness machines were limited and even hard to use, and one would need the assistance of a gym instructor which can cost some money and of course time in queuing for the turn to ask for assistance. Furthermore, fitness machines back then were very user-unfriendly and one would need to adjust to the machine in order to get to the right position. However, today, the story has definitely turned around. Fitness machines are very user-friendly, to the point that anyone can use it easily without asking for assistance. They are now very self-explanatory and simple. Fitness machines today have truly come a long way, that is why it is a lot of people have begun relying on them.

One of the most famous fitness machines known for its versatility and easy functionality is the rowing machine. Rowing machines allow the user to experience the feeling of rowing a boat. And we all know that rowing a boat is not easy: it requires a lot of arm and leg strength, not to mention the control and rhythm that you need to maintain in order to move the boat properly. With that being said, a simulated boat rowing is a good workout. Not only does it develop the leg muscles and arm strength, it also promotes proper posture and core development. If you are just starting to get interested in rowing machines or is already looking to use them in your routines, then here are 4 tips on how to use them from our expert friends at Body Gear Guide.

Apr272017

Featured in VoyageLA Magazine!

Life and work seems to be a balance of reaching out and having people reach out to you. While it feels like we’re almost always reaching out to others, there are times where the opposite happens and when it does, it leaves you asking, how did they find out about us?

VoyageLA is a magazine (and online media source) that searches for the brightest and best new businesses (or old, undiscovered ones) in the LA area. Once they find them and find out more about them, they try to spread the word so others can enjoy what they have to offer.

Nov052016

Performance Shoulders Workout

Whether our injuries are actually located somewhere inside our shoulder or hip girdles, many injuries are caused by a lack of stability and mobility in those two areas. They’re two extremely complex joints that are surrounded by many different muscles, as opposed to our biceps or triceps that are far less challenging to isolate and deal with as a regular person working out at the gym. Fortunately, we don’t have to change anything in terms of “how to train” other than be aware of the various muscles that should be targeted.

This workout combines basic movements that activate all the major muscles in the shoulder girdle and eventually leads up to some lifts that are closer to what you’d see in competition. It’s not necessarily a workout for a beginner and that’s why we aren’t offering full explanations and pictures of the exercises. If you’re unsure what these (basic) exercises and muscles are, you should probably take a step back and start with the machines in the gym, rather than free weights.

Mar112016

Exercise Spotlight: Standing Dumbbell Curl

So in addition to doing more videos and projects, we will also be bringing you new types of posts! Introducing Exercise Spotlight and Food Spotlight! These will be to-the-point posts where we focus on a certain exercise or certain food item to showcase its value. We believe a key to staying hungry and fit is constantly expanding your repertoire of knowledge and sharpening what you already know. We’re starting off with a fairly simple exercise: the dumbbell curl.

Sep232015

How to Calm a Coughing Attack

The changing of the seasons is upon us and while that may not be very apparent to us Southern Californians, it’s definitely happening everywhere else! And what happens when seasons change beside the lovely new exciting things? SICKNESS. Yes, unfortunately, when the seasons change, the weather changes, and our bodies just get all darn confused! It could be the flu, a cold…whatever our lowered immune system decides to let in. With those nasty sicknesses, comes the dreaded, lingering cough. This cough is wet and deep at first, but then, as your sickness dries up or gets better, it turns into a dry cough. Then you’re that person coughing over and over in class or in the office and you have deep circles under your eyes because it wakes you up.

My most recent hot toddy

Apr222015

How to Be a Vegetarian

Often times, when people find out I’m a vegetarian, they look at me sadly like they just found out I have a terminal illness. Funny thing is that I choose to be a vegetarian. And many other people do too! Now, the transition into being a vegetarian isn’t always so heartfelt and easy. There are tons of books out there with the purpose of instructing one on how to be a vegetarian. This is going to be a much simpler guide. I’m not telling everyone to be a vegetarian, I’m just showing you how to in case you were ever curious–how to get enough nutrients in a plant-based diet. Sometimes people turn into starch-atarians when they go veggie, but fear not–there is plenty of protein when you come this way!

Jun082014

How to Start Doing Pull-Ups

Pull-ups are tough. Really tough! Obviously men have it easier than women from the get-go, but it’s not easy for anyone to start with. Again, especially for females. This is a little guide on how to start doing pull-ups. There are various ways of easing into a full, regular pull-up. Before you even get to pull-ups, you should first start working out and strengthening your back. Look at this workout for a sample back workout. The two ways we focus on are negative pull-ups and assisted pull-ups.

1. Negative pull-ups. These are basically “jump” pull-ups. Grab a box, bench, or something you can stand on. Get right under your pull-up bar or handles. Grab the handles and take a big jump, getting high. You wanna be as far above the handles as you can and then slowly lower yourself down. It’s called a “negative” because instead of pulling yourself up, you are slowly lowering yourself in order to exercise and build those same muscles. These are tough. I would suggest attempting 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps.

2. Assisted pull-ups. These are generally easy to start with, but they require a certain machine. Assisted pull-up machines are usually one-and-the-same with assisted dip machines. Different functions on the same machine. This machine will take a certain part of your weight off your body so that you’re not pulling up your full body weight, making it easier. This machine gives itself away with a platform for your knees or feet to rest on. Once you place yourself on the platform (while holding onto the pull-up handles), you simply do a pull-up. You are being assisted by the weight it’s taking off of you. This is a superb way to slowly build up to a stand-alone pull-up. 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps.

So there you have it–two simple ways to start your pull-up game. It’s tough, don’t get me wrong, but it’s incredibly rewarding and worth every workout! Let us know if you have any questions in the comment area. Work on your pull-ups to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC

Noke finally using her bed

Dec242013

How to Battle Weight Room Intimidation

We’ve all been there. When you enter the weight room and feel like a puny little thing in the corner, scared to enter this different realm. But there is a way to get from point A to point B, I promise. I was once there, nervous to enter that scary place filled with a bunch of grunting males. But I got out of that phase (obviously) and now I feel completely natural in the weight room. I don’t even notice a difference between cardio and weight rooms for me because that “status” it once held is completely gone. I feel calm and comfortable in there. Follow these steps and you can too.

1. Bring a weight room friend. If you really want to broach into this awesome place where epic gains can exist, then it’s good to start with someone who’s already been. Someone who has already been down this path you are now taking and has that comfort that you want when stepping into the weight room. A friend always helps. That way you guys can get into your routine together and talk to one another without noticing the other people who tend to stare.

2. Pump up your jams. Part of this is distracting you from your anxiety of where you are. Make yourself a playlist that you can rock out to, turn it up really loud, and get to your exercise. Make sure you’re really in the music and before you know it, you’ve already spent half an hour in a place you formerly feared.

3. Have a plan. Have your ideal workout already written down and take it with you (either in a workout journal or your phone) into the weight room. This way there are no awkward pauses in your workout and you can stay steadily focused on what you want to accomplish. Then you won’t even notice everyone around you.

4. Let it all out. A big part of why people are uncomfortable to enter weight rooms is the noise. There’s a lot of plate clanging, grunts, and shouts. Put your all into your workout and you may find a grunt or two escaping your mouth too! Don’t be shy, if you need to grunt to get that weight up, do it! And you will fit in even more so, too. Act like a natural 😉

5. Ignore them. People are going to stare at you. That’s what happens in weight rooms when people rest between sets. That doesn’t mean they’re judging you, people just like to see what others are doing. Some even look at others to learn from them. Don’t let this add to your anxiety. People staring is normal.

6. Put on your serious face. This is a big one for me since I’m a trainer at a gym. If I don’t go into serious mode, I will be stopped left and right. However, for you, it’s important to do this so everyone stays out of your way. They can tell that you’re here to do business, not fool around. A big plus in the weight room.

7. Just do it. Decide one day that you are going to try it. Even if it’s just for a set of curls. Go in there with the heavy-weights (or not so much as it later turns out) and lift! Put in perspective: if you start going now, those nerves will wear down within weeks at the most!

There are some tips from us to you so that you can enter that weight room and get strong. So you don’t have to have any anxiety or nerves about stepping into that zone and beginning another fitness journey. That’s what it’s all about. Battle weight room intimidation to stay hungry and fit!

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