NBA Lockout Finally Over!

Hi everyone! I know it's been quite a while since I wrote anything, but I gotta say that I'm happy to be back and blogging again.

One of the best news I've heard last month is that the NBA lockout is over, and basketball fans all over the world now can get the chance to see their idols again on December 25, Christmas Day. Now what better way to celebrate the holiday than to watch a game, right? I will surely be tuning in. :)

One of my greatest interests are in the field of sports medicine. With the NBA season soon to be in full swing again, I'm a little concerned about the state of the players' health and how the lockout could have affected their physical fitness. Read up more on this topic by reading Katherine Hobson's article on the Wall Street Journal. 

What an Ideal Fitness Gym Should be Like

Through my personal experience, I have come to know about five important qualities that all fitness gyms must have. I don't own a gym yet, but if ever I open my own, I'll make sure that it has all of the following things.:

1. A strategic location: It should be in a high traffic area that's near to my target market. In my case, most of my clients in LA are those that require home services or go to the gym after work/school. It's great if I can find a spot downtown where my clients can drop by for a quick aerobics or yoga session. Bonus points if my gym's gonna be upstairs a restaurant that sells delicious organic food, like Shojin Organic & Natural.

2. Quality gym equipment: My ideal gym would have the complete equipment--free weights, machines, and cardio. Personally, I plan to regularly test the equipment myself every couple of months, to make sure everything's working well and to find out which machines need upgrading or replacing.

3. Reasonable cost: It goes without saying that my services need to be affordable and within the budget of my clientele. To set my gym apart from the others , I'll allow gym members to keep their memberships on hold for a length of time if ever they are unable to go to the fitness center due to illness, family issues, etc. To get more people to sign up at my gym, I'll be running "specials" at the end of each season, where interested fitness buffs won't need to pay full price for a gym membership. I'll also be giving discounts to senior citizens, AARP, families, and large groups.

4. Highly-qualified fitness instructors and trainers: To ensure the overall wellness and safety of my clients, a good portion of my gym's personnel should be certified in CPR and first-aid. All the fitness instructors should also have a degree in Exercise Physiology or Kinesiology and/or have obtained certification from a well-recognized body, such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) or the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). 

5. Quality food shop: Many of my clients will be wanting healthy and delicious snacks and drinks after their workouts, so my ideal gym will of course provide that. I also plan to have my gym memberships include discounts or freebies at local health stores, restaurants, spas, and athletic shops.

Your Workout Playlist

No matter what you do to get fit,
music is almost always mandatory.

 For most people, workouts aren't complete without their favorite tracks. Check out Run Hundred, the most heavily trafficked website on the Internet for workout music downloads. Here, you can browse song selections according to genre, era, or tempo and find the music that best fits your routine. In the meantime, check out my top 5 favorite songs for working out:

1. Walk This Way - Aerosmith
2. So What'cha Want - Beastie Boys
3. S&M (Remix) - Rihanna & Britney Spears
4. Blow (Remix) - Kesha
5. TNT - AC/DC

Celebrity Workouts: Get K-Stew's Slim Legs!

Kristen Stewart at this year's MTV Movie Awards

Kristen Stewart was a hot winner in this year's MTV Movie Awards as she bagged the Best Female Performance trophy and with the Twilight series nabbing 5 major awards.We can see that she rocked that super sexy red strapless dress, with those toned arms and slim legs. Find out how those luscious legs can be yours with these helpful exercise tips:

 1. Train your legs from all angles. Mix up your workout with a variety of leg exercises that will work up muscles you didn’t even realize you had.

2. Try walk lunges for your thighs and butt. Any time you have spare time, stand at one end of your room and walk to the other side with your hands on your hips, make sure to alternate the use of your legs and walking in a lunge position.

3. Try cable adduction movements! It does wonders for your inner thighs and tones your calves and butt.  Use a resistance band or a cable from a weight machine and attach it to your inner ankle. Bring the attached leg away from your body and bring it back again to your other leg and do this for a couple of reps then switch legs.

Smart Briefcase Breakfast Ideas

Nutrition experts say that there's no meal more important than the first meal of the day. But what if you have  class, an early meeting, or you're just plain lazy to cook? Ditch that Sausage McMuffin 'cause WebMd gives us some healthy and satisfying breakfast ideas for those of us who are constantly on the go:

Apples and Bananas

Fruits are convenient and healthy breakfast options cause you can simply grab one and eat it on your way to work or school. Those who use their ovens for storage won't have to worry about getting up early and preparing a healthy breakfast, as apples and bananas require no utensils, preparation, or cooking skills. Bananas can easily give you about 110 calories, plus 1 gram of protein, and 16% of your daily fiber requirement. But if you add an apple to your potassium-rich banana, you're up to 190 calories and 36% of your daily fiber. Yum!

Bar Food

After spending the night before drinking beer with your buddies or sipping cocktails with your girlfriends at your local dive, cure your hangover and sink your teeth in different kind of bar. Energy bars, protein bars, cereal bars are healthy, delicious, and handy. Like bananas and apples, bars can be easily eaten on the go or stashed inside your purse or briefcase. But don't visit the grocery and hoard these nutrition bars just yet, make sure you read the labels and watch out for those that contain too much fat or sugar. Choose those that are high in fiber, low in saturated fat, with no trans fat and hydrgenated oils and moderate sugar content (about 18 grams or less). My favorite treat? Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber Cinnamon Raisin! I can enjoy it like my Granny's oatmeal cookie without the guilt. It has 130 calories, four grams of protein, and 12 grams of fiber, enough to keep you full until lunchtime rolls around.

Other Smart Briefcase Breakfast Ideas

 If you're someone who thinks that 8AM is too early to eat breakfast, think of splitting your first meal in two and eat again a few hours before lunchtime. You can chug a glass of non-fat milk before leaving the house and eat fruit or a lean turkey sandwich for brunch. Having healthy snacks on hand such as pistachio nuts, unbuttered popcorn, or carrot sticks can also curb the hunger pangs before lunchtime.

Start your day with a full breakfast and a nibble!

Welcome to The Daily Nibble!

If you're reading this blog and today's your first day of being more active and eating healthier, congratulations! Learning more about health and fitness is a great first step.

When you're trying to get fit, it helps to have some motivation. Lemme let you in a little secret; it's better if you have a partner. Knowing that you’ll be letting someone else down means you’re more likely to stick to your diet or workout.

Also, you can motivate each other. There will be days when you feel like eating five slices of pizza or a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey. There will be days when you don’t feel like working out 'cause you're too tired or maybe you wanna wait by the phone because he hasn't called yet. On days like these, trust me, you'd want someone to hide your stash of Doritos and drag you the gym. Hopefully, you and your partner's "off’ days" won't happen at the same time, so that you can persuade each other to do a quick stroll outside or jumping jacks during commercial breaks of your favorite TV show.

Eating healthy and working out is simply more fun when you do it with someone. It goes without saying that eating out and discovering the yummiest, low-cal fish taco in the city is best enjoyed with a friend. Meanwhile, some people find exercise boring, so having someone to talk to or even just to be there with you (if you prefer to listen to your iPod) while exercising is a great bonus.

I hope you can start each day or week by dropping by The Daily Nibble for your daily dose of health and fitness news, information, and what not. Share your comments and let's be workout buddies/partners!