#instead of trying to put your hate towards a guy into a progressive package

[impmansloot]

saw a bad anders take as you do on the internet, time to cleanse my palette

[ficsrus]

fic recs: bts

this one’s a bit lengthy folks. have fun reading. make sure to give kudos and comments and lots of love to the authors!

namjin—

*prudence in the face of adversity: rated E, 7k

“But we’re not a girl group, hyung, there’s like…” Namjoon waves his hands in the air as he explains, “identity issues and gender issues and how are we supposed to dance with b—our bodies in this condition,” he finishes weakly. “And we can’t do publicity like this, or rehearse, and I don’t want to call the president and Seokjin-hyung is bleeding and I don’t know how to pick these things out from the store so could Hobi and I please just take a bit of money to the store to get things for Jin-hyung because he’s crying…”

[In which the entirety of Bangtan wakes up as women, and Namjoon is confused and put-upon.]

ch4otick gayz: rated T, 17k [includes vhopemin & yoonkook]

[EM0 CRAKHED]

jeon can't kook: jfc,,

jeon can't kook: sorry guys i took care of it,

jeon can't kook: i gave him like 3 tablets of Benadryl he's out

hobi-wan kenobi: kook, you're supposed to only take 1

jeon can't kook: ......

jeon can't kook: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ guess he'll die.

yoonmin—

hands down: rated T, 43k

Hoseok wouldn’t stop talking about him. It was Jimin this, Jimin that, Jimin was so cute, Jimin was so talented, Jimin danced so well and he was so nice- Yoongi had to control the impulse to roll his eyes the minute his name came out of Hoseok’s mouth.

So, yeah, maybe Yoongi was already predisposed towards disliking Park Jimin for some very valid reasons but this? This took the fucking cake.

the songbird and the sea: rated M, 256k [minor taekook and namjin]

In a world where dominance of the sea is an endless battle between pirates and mariners, Park Jimin is content living in his little village on a small, uninteresting island by the eastern mainland. He wants nothing to do with the bloodshed of good and evil, the heartless killing of both innocents and condemned, the constant establishment and disruption of order. What he wants is peace, to live his life in the same town he was born in, to spend his days in the beautiful forest, and to use the powers of his Blessed Rune to nurture the home he loves so dearly.

But when his island is attacked by pirates, Jimin will have no other choice than to do as they command and leave all thoughts of peace behind in favor of boarding the Agust, a pirate ship captained by the infamous Min Yoongi, Black Fox of the East.

*flashflood: rated E, 15k

A handjob a week is not much for Jimin to live off of.

Jimin thinks it’s sort of like the equivalent of feeding someone nothing but peas for all three meals of the day: sure, peas are all well and good, but eating peas and only peas for any extended period of time is going to result in some serious vitamin deficiencies. And probably some other bad stuff, although Jimin doesn’t actually know all that much about it.

composure: rated E, 131k

Everyone has secrets.

Everything in Jimin's life changed the day he presented as an Omega. It's as though the world were grabbed out from under him, launching him into a special hell not meant for someone with as much fire and potential as him.

This is why when Jimin is given the opportunity to stop being an Omega, he takes it.

What Jimin hadn't anticipated, is meeting his roommate, Yoongi, or realizing his entire cover will be blown if he can't stop going so crazy over that cinnamon and mint scent he has.

Too bad that is the least of his worries...

*(This is a story containing serious and dark themes with disturbing elements which become more prevelant as the story progresses.)

jikook—

*On Patrol: rated M, 130k [includes yoonseok & namjin; read the sequel here]

Officer Jeon has his eyes on Mr. Adorable.

Officer Min has a strange neighbor he can't seem to keep out of his life.

Captain Kim finds comfort in his son's homeroom teacher.

Well, cops need some loving too, right?

under the mistletoe (with you): rated G, 5k

Jimin and Jungkook try to get Yoongi and Hoseok together during the holidays but it doesn't really go as planned.

The White Wolf’s Shadow: rated T, 41k [includes yoonseok, namjin, & taekook]

Jeongguk, a powerful Alpha in line for his father’s throne, needs a mate to wear the crown. When Jimin, an alluring Omega and foreign Prince, comes to re-cement their alliance everything seems to fall into place… against their wishes. Jeongguk, forced to decide what's more important, his own happiness or his people; and Jimin whose carrying deadly secrets that place the fate of everyone on his shoulders, are forced to come together. With enemies on all sides will they be able to overcome their struggles and do what has to be done?

Or

Jeongguk and Jimin’s wolves have liked each other from the start, but when they are forced into an arranged marriage both parties are unhappy about it for various reasons. Neither wants to admit it, but both find themselves falling for the other as time goes on.

yoonjin—

heists and hearts: rated T, 95k [minor jihope and vmon]

"Give me a number,” Yoongi says when Namjoon finally turns around in his computer chair. Namjoon looks at him and sighs.

"One."

It's not the first time he's stumped with one plan. Namjoon looks at Yoongi, eyes trained on him like a hawk. “One?” Yoongi asks, voice low. “One,” Namjoon repeats, “and you’re not going to like it.”

There’s a hint of curiosity in Yoongi’s eyes and a question attempts to come out from his lips. But instead, Namjoon hears the order from his partner.

“Call them in.”

a little water clears us of this deed: rated T, 4k

All Yoongi wanted was to read Macbeth and pass his Literature class in peace, not catch the attention of Kim Seokjin.

*best served cold: rated E, 16k

[They say when you / embark on a journey / of revenge, dig two graves. They underestimate me. (mr state trooper. please don’t stop me. please don’t stop me.)]

After Yoongi's parents get killed by the mob, Yoongi sets out to avenge them. No matter what it takes.

he’ll come back for the honey and you: rated E, 18k

“Cooking is attractive. Like playing guitar, it demonstrates your prowess with your hands, your sophisticated knowledge of an art form... But it goes deeper than that. Cooking is a shared experience, a way to express yourself to someone you care about.”

Or: Seokjin is no stranger to a little sugar. However, Yoongi is the sweetest thing he’s come across in a long time, and there's no recipe telling him exactly what he should do next.

a ballad for you: rated T, 3k

tumblr prompt from anon: "Hi, do you take requests that aren't smut? I'd like to see YoonJin where Jin mistakes Yoongi for his blind date."

[At this point, Seokjin only has one thing to say about his date; he needs to show the hell up.]

everything i need: rated M, 12k

“Sorry I’m late, babe. Traffic was awful,” the man is saying. He flashes a bright, gummy smile at Seokjin and nods apologetically at the waitress. “I’m sorry. Can we have five more minutes to look at the menu?”

He waits until she is gone before he leans across the table and says in a low voice. “I’m Yoongi. Just play along okay? Whoever didn’t bother to show up is a dick.”

Or, the one where Seokjin is a single dad. His son is in love with the music their first floor neighbour plays on the piano, and the last thing Seokjin expects is to fall for the man behind the music.

déjà-brew : rated T, 7k

according to his employees, seokjin has a crush on the cute guy that comes around and orders an americano every single day. what they don’t know, and what seokjin hasn’t told them yet, is that they’re actually married. (he has his reasons, okay?)

yoonseok—

same damn hunger: rated E, 40k

When it comes to fucking around with his best friend, Yoongi follows two rules:

1. They must be inebriated.

2. They must not kiss.

the daily grind: rated E, 8k

hoesock87: I refuse to believe that u didn’t just google “cute asian twink” to get that selfie

yoongay: i am a cute asian twink. r u tryna fuck me or no

(or: yoonseok meet on grindr)

and one musn’t tell lies: rated M, 46k

Yoongi wants to fly so bad he's ready to break the rules for that. Jung Hoseok is the worst collateral damage possible. (Stop lying).

*days to weeks to months: rated M, 10k

Yoongi’s just trying to date the possible love of his life, Jung Hoseok. But the package deal includes five asshole friends and a theoretically infinite number of disasters.

Basically: a series of moments where Yoongi wonders why his friends and also god hate him.

see, i’ve got plans (to get to you): rated T, 11k

Yoongi and Hoseok have a game plan.

(Or: The one where Yoongi takes three tries to propose to Hoseok.)

single pringle: rated T, 7k [includes jikook and namjin]

Where Yoongi owns a restaurant that is a date hot-spot and he is single and salty at all the couples streaming into his restaurant on a daily basis. Not only that, but somewhere along the way he's gotten himself a couple of gay regulars who won't go away. And maybe someone who makes him a little less salty at the end too.

**halcyon: rated M, 27k [includes minjoon]

The only explanation for how two demons have found themselves on Earth is a simple one: Jung Hoseok loves to gamble and Min Yoongi can't resist a good game.

junghope—

blue flame special: rated E, 106k [minor vmin]

hoseok just got dumped and now a clearly under aged bartender is refusing to serve him a much needed round of shots.

("can you do this teenage angst thing some other time? my ex just walked in with his new boyfriend and i could really use some liquid cowardice."

the kid narrows his eyes in the direction hoseok had nodded toward. "seokjin hyung's your ex?")

hoseok nods. "you know him?"

"yeah," jeongguk glares at hoseok and begins stepping away, definitely refusing to serve him any drink at all. "he dumped me for you.")

yoonjihope [?? essentially yoongi/hoseok/jimin]—

**good things always belonged to everyone: rated E, 9k

Yoongi is trying to accept his part as the beta in a polyamorous relationship with an alpha and an omega. Little by little he notices just how unfitting that role is.

yoonkook—

soft melodies and softer touches: rated E, 11k

[22:39; I see the way you look at me, hyung.]

Yoongi's world stands still, and in that moment, he wants nothing more than to wring Jimin's neck. It's Jeongguk, it has to be Jeongguk, who else would it be? Yoongi knows many dancers--unfortunately Jimin's one of them--but there's only one that he's on close terms with, and whose number he doesn't have.

Jeongguk. It's Jeongguk. It's fucking Jeongguk.

(OR: Jeongguk's a contemporary dancer, and Yoongi is his academy's pianist).

take me out (the date way or the assassination way): rated T, 7k

jin [8:01] theres a mysterious hot guy on campus that yoongi keeps running into like a damn romantic drama but every time they meet he ends up nearly killing yoongi

tae [8:01] kinky

with a bang (stunted plants can bloom): rated M, 24k

what not to do when you find yourself falling for the guy you almost slept with but then didn’t because he turned out to be your friends’ roommate: a guide by min yoongi

flower boys: not rated, 3k

“it was pretty,” namjoon protests, trying to defend himself. “and it was a gift from a fan. wouldn’t she have been troubled to have to take it home?”

“and you brought it back to let it die?” yoongi interjects, dry as sand. he rises to his feet, dusting off his jeans. “you gonna take care of it, namjoonie?”

“how hard can it be,” namjoon says, but he sounds hesitant, like he knows his own annihilatory powers will trump his determination. “it’s a small plant. it needs water, sunlight, and air. we can provide all of those. piece of cake.”

(yoongi and jungkook take care of a plant together.)

i know i’ll fall in love with you, baby: rated T, 31k

The soulmate/soulbond au where Yoongi is part of a famous rap duo and Jungkook is his diligent fanboy, they meet at a fansign and things escalate from there

(alt. Yoongi didn’t sign up for this)

i blow up buildings (but i’d blow you): rated T, 8k

“Yoongi,” says Namjoon, his tone allowing no argument. He holds the boy an arms length in front of him and smiles painfully. “Meet Jeongguk. He’s your new bodyguard.”

Yoongi sputters and decides to argue anyway, because fuck no. “I said I don’t need a bodyguard, Namjoon.”

(Or, the AU where Yoongi has been receiving death threats from an enemy organisation known as Skeletal, and Jeon Jeongguk is the lucky bastard brought in to be his bodyguard. Yoongi tries to hate him. He really does.)

all the light we cannot see: rated T, 64k

“i’m not your servant!”

“you are on my ship now, and anyone on my ship does what i say,” snaps yoongi, and when he takes a step closer to jeongguk, jeongguk realizes that he’s actually taller than yoongi. strangely, he hadn’t noticed it before, because yoongi doesn’t seem like a small man. especially now, with that fiery look on his face, he seems larger than life—but jeongguk refuses to back down. it’s a bad idea to argue, he knows, but jeongguk has never been very good at stopping himself from doing something he’ll regret.

(or: when jeongguk finally gets his chance to sail the cosmos, it’s onboard the ship of an aggravating man named min yoongi. he thinks it’ll be extraordinarily dull—but the universe, and the legend of treasure planet, have other plans.)

gusto d’italia: rated E, 64k

Jungkook turned towards the kitchen - and walked straight into the icy glare of Min Yoongi.

“Are you always this late?”

Jungkook tried to bite his tongue. “I was talking to – ”

“I don’t care who you were talking to,” Yoongi snapped. He had both arms crossed firmly over his chest as he continued to berate Jungkook in front of the rest of the staff. “How am I supposed to trust you to get my food out on time if you can’t follow a simple direction that I gave less than five minutes ago?”

Jungkook stared at his feet. “It won’t happen again, chef.”

“Better fucking not.”

-----

[Jungkook always dreamed of becoming a chef in the future. When Yoongi, a culinary genius with unusual social skills, shows up in the kitchen of Gusto d'Italia, Jungkook becomes awestruck.]

taegi—

the less i know the better: rated E, 41k

Yoongi shifts uncomfortably in his seat, avoiding making eye contact.

"I might’ve… invented a boyfriend," he finally mumbles to the glass in front of him

i want to believe: rated G, k

Taehyung starts an astronomy club.

my heart flutters from the sugar high: rated M, 6k

Yoongi and Taehyung sneak around together, cheating on their diets. The group? They've drawn different conclusions.

over the winter lake: rated E, 9k

There’s a small alcove along the outskirts of Daegu, not too deep in the woods, that lead to a lake of still waters and peaceful surroundings. Yoongi isn’t entirely fond of it—the body of water itself being named Death Lake by locals who’ve lived there long enough to tell the tales of the disturbing amount of murders, suicides, and disappearances that are linked with it.

Yoongi sees something in the water. Something inhuman.

abracadon’t: rated M, 7k

"i don't understand why you hate taehyung," hoseok always asks.

yoongi doesn't really understand either. but he's just so...hate-able.

or, taehyung never learned that annoying the fuck out of someone isn't actually a healthy way to show you like them.

namgi—

you could give it all (but it’s never enough): rated E, 46k

yoongi imprints with an alpha he's an alpha too

again again again: rated T, 8k

Yoongi takes a deep breath. Runs through the facts. 1. Namjoon is really fuckin drunk. 2. They made that dumbass pact well over ten years ago when they were both sad and weird and lonely. 3. His heart definitely did not seize up a little bit at the thought of marrying his best friend. It just didn’t.

vmin—

it’s not about reciprocation (it’s just all about me): rated E, 34k

“Taehyung and Jimin broke up.”

“It’s bullshit—”

“We were all rooting for them.”

“It’s complete bullshit—”

“Everyone actually thought they had a chance, you know?”

(Alternatively: Taehyung’s a problematic idiot who fell in love with the right person at the wrong time.)

jinkook—

*knowingly, i drank from the poisoned chalice: rated m, 22k

In captivity, Seokjin learns that you cannot have both love and life without sacrificing something important.

namgikook (namjoon/yoongi/jungkook)—

*the kinky encounter at the auto-erotic asphyxiation house: rated E, 6k

"The last owner of this house died too.”

“How?”

Jeongguk looks over his shoulder at them, his front teeth poking into his bottom lip as his nose scrunches and the corners of his eyes crinkle in a delighted grin. “Auto-erotic asphyxiation! Honestly, what a way to fucking go. Do you think he came before he died?”

“Christ, Jeongguk.”

Namjoon drops his head into his hands, letting out a long-suffering sigh as Jeongguk elbows him playfully.

“It’s a valid question!” Jeongguk snickers as both Namjoon and Yoongi give him a painfully withered look. “We can only hope his last moment was a pleasurable one.”

taekook—

**fading brilliance, fire on silk: rated E, 26k

Jungkook spent his life studying angels and demons, but none of his imaginary portrayals of them can even come close to Taehyung’s mystical, almost poetic beauty: sun-kissed skin and full lips, lashes so long that Jungkook feels the brush of it on his skin when Taehyung leans in to dip his tongue in the hollow of his throat.

Jungkook wonders if he’s already too far gone. The guilt doesn’t eat him up anymore, the shame only serving to heighten his arousal instead of extinguish it. Jungkook has no hope of salvation now, and he doesn’t even care, not when damnation tastes this fucking good.

[cemaine1990-blog]

Sculpted In Klay: 

https://www.wattpad.com/story/193052466-sculpted-in-klay?utm_source=web&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share_myworks

"Boo, Thompson sucks balls!" Camilla heard the jeer and the distinctively annoying raspy voice coming from the right side of the bar. She squinted through the dim lighting of the ironically named "W" sports bar to see the culprit: a blonde haired man and his two buddies, all sporting Clippers gear. Weird flex for a bar in the Bay Area, but she decided to let it go. She glanced back at the tv, the Warriors were trailing behind. Jeremy, the bartender, wordlessly replaced her empty tequila glass with a new one (extra ice, he knew her too well). She nodded a silent thanks, and they both turned back to the tv screen. It had been a long day, but then everyday for a pediatric surgeon was a long one. However, today was difficult on a whole other level than your typical tough surgery or overpacked schedule. One of her younger patients, Timmy, was doing worse, and she had to have "that" conversation with his parents. There were two conversations every doctor dreaded having. The first one was telling family members that a loved one passed away during surgery. The second one was preparing family members for the fact that their loved one was not getting any better, and that they had to start getting ready for the worst. That was the conversation she had with six-year-old Timmy's parents today. This conversation frequently—and understandably—included many tears, anger, frustration, yelling, followed by more tears and endless "Why?" and "Can't you do something?" questions. Camilla wasn't good at handling tears or feelings. In fact, she spent a majority of her time avoiding and running away from feelings by throwing herself fully into her work. This ensured that she was a kick ass surgeon, but it also left her little to no time for anything else, quite similarly to someone else that she knew.

The cameraman panned to a close up of his face, and she could tell from the way he rapidly squinted his eyes that he was quickly growing frustrated, and almost like a twin, she felt a similar frustration building in the pit of her own stomach. They've been like that since high-school, Klay and her, creepily in tune to each other's moods. When she broke her arm at the age of sixteen during a Big Bear skiing trip, he called her phone almost right away. When she didn't pick up he called her brother Dominick to find out what happened. Klay explained that he suddenly felt a sharp pain and knew something was wrong with her. Nowadays, when she was in surgery and had to miss one of his games (which she would usually watch at the "W" or her home) she would always know, even before checking the score, whether they won or lost. If she felt a warm glow-like sensation spread through her chest, it meant they won and he was happy and elated. If she felt sharp pangs in her stomach, she knew they had lost and he was upset and disappointed. Currently, the stomach pangs were getting stronger.

She took a large sip of the smooth tequila as Curry airballed a 15-footer, an unfortunate and ridiculously rare occurrence that made Golden Boy Steph seem like a mere mortal after all. Camilla sighed as the frustration in her stomach increased tenfold, suggesting that the other half of the Splash Brothers was on the verge of throwing a tantrum. Klay may have appeared like the most calm and down to earth guy on tv, but when it came to his passion he was incredibly competitive and not above showing his frustration. The tv showed Curry chewing on his mouthguard in sheer disappointment, when suddenly Camilla's iPhone screen lit up. A text message from Ayesha. It read, "Girl, this is bad. Really bad." It was accompanied by a crying face emoji. Camilla nodded at the words on the screen. Ayesha was right, this wasn't looking good. The blonde haired Clippers fan proceeded to get louder in his anti-Warriors chants, and Camilla had to talk herself out of going over there and throwing the tequila in his face. Instead, she took a deep breath. "Have faith, we got this," she texted Ayesha back. The Warriors had to go to the finals, there was no other option in Camilla's mind. And she didn't even want to envision the state Klay would be in if they lost.

She grabbed the pistachio bowl that sat at the edge of the bar and pulled it towards her. As she popped a few in her mouth, the first food she'd had in the last six hours, she noticed a handsome man entering the "W" and looking around, clearly searching for someone in particular. She ducked low, but her efforts to go unnoticed failed as he made a beeline for her.

"Cadell!" he called out, trying a bit too hard to sound like he didn't expect to see her. It was a lie, everyone knew this was her place. Not that she was trying to call dibs on it, but she was the one that actually made this place cool back when it was still known as a dump. Before she set foot here, all the medical staff at the hospital turned their noses at the sports dive bar down the street and would instead go to the fancy wine and cheese bar further down the road. She was the first one to come to the "W" and bring her co-workers in for an afterwork drink. And now it was the hot spot for doctors, nurses and anyone else looking to decompress after a stressful shift at work. But upon seeing Steven here, her own frustration increased as she realized that her afterwork sanctuary had now been invaded and compromised. No bar could ever be relaxing with Steven in it. Meanwhile, somewhere inside of the Oracle Arena, Klay had to be held back by his teammates from having the sudden and inexplicable urge to fight someone on the opposing team.

"Steven, didn't expect to see you here," she mumbled as he pulled out the stool next to her and sat far too close for comfort. His leg brushing against hers, his arm taking up her bar space.

"How's little man Tim doing?" he asked. She hated that he called him that.

"Not so good," she replied shortly and continued making progress on her tequila.

"Ah, sorry about that. Is that straight tequila you're drinking?" he asked, not sounding sorry at all.

"Yep."

"Hardcore, Cadell. Hardcore," he laughed, and ordered a long island ice tea. She found that a strange choice, but made no comment. After all, she didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with her new co-worker, but instinctually she knew that Steven was not somebody she could really be friends with. However, for the sake of a healthy work environment, she would give it her best shot.

Steven took a sip of his drink, which to Camilla's amusement Jeremy side eyed while serving, and blabbed on about his old work and how he loved this new job and about his ex girlfriend and on and on. Camilla had reciprocated with nods, where it was appropriate, and simple "ahh's" and "interesting's" where she felt she needed to insert them in order to be polite. But her head and heart was in the game. The Dubs had their backs against the wall, and it seemed to light a fire in them because they were slowly picking up their pace. Camilla popped a few more pistachios in her mouth when all of a sudden the pitch of Steve's voice shot up, meaning he had asked her a question. A question she completely did not hear.

"What's that?" she asked innocently, trying to mask the fact that she hadn't been listening to him for the past fifteen minutes.

"I was saying that you're really into this game, you like basketball?" he asked in a voice that suggested it was strange if she did in fact like basketball.

"I do, Steven. And you don't?"

"Tennis is more my thing, to be honest. But I can get us really good seats if you want, I know a guy," he replied proud of himself, once again putting Camilla at unease. Not only was he crossing professional boundaries now by practically asking her on a date, he was doing it in the most half-assed way imagined.

"You know a guy," she repeated, unimpressed. If only he knew the type of seats she could get them with one text or a phone call. But she decided not to hurt Steven's pride.

"Yeah, a lawyer friend of mine. If you're interested." But Camilla was no longer listening because Klay just nailed a game-tying triple. She smiled, the pangs in her stomach suddenly gone. She knew they were on a wave now, and nobody was going to stop them.

"Boo, hope that asshole breaks a leg!" the blonde man, now well on his way to a blackout state, yelled out aggressively. Camilla poured the reminder of her tequila down her throat, the burning sensation making her shudder for a moment. She pulled out a few bills and handed them to Jeremy saying "no change." Jeremy gave her an appreciative nod.

"I gotta run Steve-o," she said purposely using a name she knew he disliked, "I'll see you at work on Monday."

On her way out she "accidentally" bumped into the blonde man, who was holding a fresh pitcher of beer, causing him to spill it all over the front of his shirt. She smiled as he called her a bitch, and walked out to cheers from fellow Warriors fans. Nobody was going to wish injury upon Klay Thompson in her presence without going unchecked.

Her Lyft driver was waiting for her outside, and ironically had the radio tuned in to the game, so by the time he dropped her off at her loft, she knew the Warriors took the game.

"Evening Jerry," she nodded at the doorman, or the "concierge" as the building management insisted on calling him now. Jerry was in charge of visitor passes, package deliveries as well as hailing cabs for the residents of Camilla's building. Klay had always teased her about being a pediatric surgeon but living in a loft. But her place suited her lifestyle. It was in close proximity to the hospital, which allowed her to get there in less than fifteen minutes in case of an emergency. It was safe and secure, with Jerry on patrol. It was more than enough for her. It's not like she needed a huge house, when it was just her. No family. "Family", the word stung her soul, but she ignored it.

She opened the door and the nearly empty place greeted her. Klay had always made fun of how minimalistic she was, and how un-homey her places tended to be. He didn't realize she did certain things to protect herself. That she needed to keep this place cold and formal for very specific reasons. Her current place was a two story loft, and the base floor was pretty bare. Upon entering and walking through the hallway there was a neat and modern open kitchen to the right. It featured a large black marble island and black leather bar stools. She didn't have a big dining table, after all nobody really had proper dinners here and most of the food she ate consisted of Chinese takeout. Beyond the kitchen, the wooden floors led to a soft beige couch, a glass table and two beige chairs across from it, and further down were doors to a small balcony with an array of low maintenance plants (gifts from her mom who shared in Klay's sentiments about the place feeling un-homey, and who wanted to make the place appear like someone actually lived in it). The stairs across from the kitchen led upstairs into a spacious and bright bedroom featuring a super cozy king sized bed with a luxurious beige headboard and hotel like white bedding, two night stands on either side, and a huge bookcase featuring an endless array of medical textbooks. Next to the bedroom there was a large bathroom with a walk in shower as well as a separate large bath tub. Could she afford a bigger and cooler place? Of course. But this was her spot, this is who she was, and this is all she needed at the moment.

She pulled her hair into a ponytail, grabbed a vanilla bath bomb and started to run a bath. As the water filled up the bathtub, Camilla put on a face mask. It had been a long day and she was ready to relax and wash it all way. She walked over to her bookcase, and grabbed a crime thriller novel. After the tequila shots she had, she knew there was no way she could retain any new medical knowledge so she didn't even bother picking up any of her textbooks to read. No, a good Stephen King book would do it tonight. She immersed herself in the warm vanilla bath and started to read. But slowly her mind began to drift to him.

No matter how hard she tried, almost every night that she was home alone led up to this. She just couldn't put a stop to all the memories. After all, he was unforgettable.

The way he looked in his basketball uniform.

Her hand made its was underwater, and gently touched her freshly waxed womanhood.

The way his arms glistened with sweat.

Her fingers gently parted her labia and began to slowly circle the small button underneath.

The way he licked his lip in frustration.

She moaned as she remembered those same lips kissing all over her body, and that same tongue deep inside of her.

His fingers clutching the ball.

Her body writhed in pleasure remembering those same fingers being knuckle deep inside of her.

His voice as he answered post game questions.

The waves of orgasm washed over her as she remembered that voice groaning while cumming inside her.

The second she came, she regretted giving in to these fantasies once again. After all, she was the one who ended things (once again) and she needed to stick to her word this time. Their relationship had unfortunately been highly complicated for a variety of reasons, and fantasizing about their sex life was not going to make this any easier on her. And really, it was time to move on now. It had been months since they'd seen each other, and Klay was probably already dating a Hollywood starlet or an Instagram model. She had made her choice, and she needed to be firm in her decision. But a part of her couldn't help but give in from time to time and imagine a life and a world where they were able to be together, happy. She shook the thoughts away as she slipped out of the bath and washed off her face mask. She turned off the lights and fell asleep almost the second her body hit the sheets.

When she woke up the next morning, she remembered with fright that it was her birthday. She wasn't scared because she was getting older, no, she was scared because she forgot she had two days off which meant she would need to actually indulge the people in her life who had most likely planned something nice for her, like a surprise birthday party. What bothered her most was that she fully realized her attitude was completely ungrateful and bratty, and that many people could only dream of having such caring friends and family. Yet every year, she found herself aggressively dodging any and all birthday wishes. She glanced at her phone and sure enough there were already endless texts from family, friends and even some old patients who had her personal number. She sighed, guilty for feeling burdened by this outpouring of birthday love, and proceeded to send everyone a very grateful text of acknowledgment and thanks. If it was up to her birthdays would not be a thing. In fact, she decided she would look into what it took to become a Jehovah's Witness so that next year she would not have to endure this.

After she answered as many people as she could, she scrambled up some eggs and ate them with avocado toast. She did not do good on days off, it gave her too much free time to think. She thrived in her work environment where she was constantly busy and didn't have time to ponder things like her complicated relationship with a certain handsome Warriors shooting guard. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. She scrunched up her face trying to remember if she invited anyone over, but couldn't come up with an answer. However, the person behind the door was a delivery man, and he was holding a ridiculously large bouquet of red roses, which anyone who knew Camilla would know were far from her favorite.

"Are you sure these are for me?" she inquired as politely as possible.

"Are you Camilla Cadell?"

She nodded and accepted the bouquet, still confused. Once back inside she looked at the note card and it immediately explained her questions about the unfortunate flower choice: Steven. She wondered how the hell he even got her address and made a mental note to ask the hospital staff if anyone gave it to him on Monday. The flowers were not at fault and she felt bad so she put them in a vase and placed them on the kitchen island. She then quickly changed into her workout clothes, grabbed her mat and walked to a local studio for a morning yoga session. When she got back, her phone had a new array of endless messages and missed phone calls. "Great," she muttered to herself and proceeded to first make coffee. She could tackle the new messages with some caffeine in her system. She brewed her favorite kind of medium roast, added a splash of half and half and a dash of sweetener and began going through her phone. She listened to the voicemail from her brother first:

"Yo sis! Happy birthday, you're getting hella old. Like fine wine though. Listen, don't even try to say no to this. I've got a little get together planned, alright. I know you don't like that stuff but you're my only sister and you can't stop me from celebrating you. So...do whatever you want with your day, but meet me at Dover Lane at 7:00pm for come cocktails with friends, alright? Call me back when you get this."

She sighed. Dominick meant well, but the last thing she wanted to do with her night was cocktails with friends. Having to listen about everyone's lives and then endure personal questions about her own. It was tiring just thinking about it, when all she really wanted to do was lay on the couch and watch a movie, and maybe eat some ice cream. But he was her brother, and she wasn't going to deny him the joy of throwing her a birthday get together, so she texted him back to let him know she'd be there. Dover Lane was a fancy restaurant with a booming bar and sick private rooms. At least she knew she would eat some decent food for her birthday.

A quick glance at her closet revealed that she didn't have much to wear for the night as she had recently went on a closet purge and donated most of her things to a women's shelter. She glanced at the clock, there was still plenty of time to go shopping. Even though Camilla was frugal 90% of the time, she didn't mind splurging on things on occasion. Money was made to be spent, after all. Of course a lot of her money went to helping her family, donating, and causes dear to her heart, but at times she didn't mind to make a dent in her bank account for something a little extra.

And now that she was standing in the middle of Barneys on her birthday, she knew it was time to get a little crazy. First, she needed a nice dress. And shockingly, it didn't take long to find one. She knew it was "the one" right away. A sexy, simple and sophisticated black Bottega Veneta made in Italy. Plunging V-neck and sleeveless. When the saleslady saw her try it on she gulped for air, which is how Camilla knew this was the right choice. Price tag: $2,220. Next were shoes. Camilla spent most of her life in comfortable hospital shoes, but today she decided to spice things up and a brand new pair of nude patent leather Christian Louboutin pumps would do it. All for the lovely price of $695. Even though she made great money as a surgeon, she still had a tiny pang of guilt for spending all this money on herself, but she quickly forgot all about it as she moved to the jewelry section. She splurged on a pair of gold earrings and a diamond necklace, and begged the salesperson to not even tell her the total but just go ahead and charge her. As she was fishing around in her wallet, a credit card fell out onto the floor. Not just any credit card. It was Klay's American Express, more commonly known as the Black Card, one of the most expensive and prestigious credit cards. Camilla was caught off guard, she completely forgot she had it. Klay, who was also frugal with his money, yet highly generous when it came to those he loved, had given her the card one day as she was going shopping and told her to "have fun." When she told him she didn't need him paying for things, he made an annoyed Klay face and told her it made him feel good to splurge on her. So she took the card with her, and apparently never returned it. She was sure he cancelled it by now and had a new one mailed, but she decided to FedEx it over to him right after leaving Barneys, just in case. She picked the same-day service, and then went home to get ready for her dinner.

After she showered, shaved and moisturized, she began tackling her makeup. An hour later, her face was properly caked up and ready to party. She then quickly curled her blonde tresses into loose waves and squeezed into her sexy nighttime outfit. Nobody would point to her and believe she was a surgeon. Tonight, she resembled an Instagram model. She laughed as she looked at herself in the mirror, it wasn't often that she had the chance to wear an outfit like this. But sometimes a girl had to feel sexy, and if not on her birthday then when?

After she grabbed a Dior purse to go with her outfit, she ordered a Lyft and made her way downstairs. She had to hold back a giggle when she saw Jerry do a double take.

"Have a great evening Miss Cadell," he called out.

"You too Jerry," she replied. No matter how many times she asked him to call her Camilla, he still used Miss Cadell, so eventually she just gave up.

The scene at Dover Lane was predictable. Girls squeezed into sexy little numbers, rich gentlemen looking to get lucky for the night, and a slew of waitstaff waiting for their shift to be over. Dominick had gotten them a private room, and as the hostess brought her inside a gaggle of her friends and family screamed "surprise!" and shot confetti straight in her face. Camilla felt tired already, and she hadn't even begun socializing. But she put on a good face, and began making the rounds with her friends. She thanked people, she caught up with girlfriends who talked about their babies and husbands, she caught up with guy friends who all wanted to know why she was still single, she thanked her family for surprising her and caught them up on her work and life (which was her work). Her mother asked her when she would be getting a grandchild, to which Camilla directed her to ask Dominick. This question infuriated her, for reasons she didn't want to share with her family, and certainly not on her birthday.

The private room was a great experience. The food kept on coming, the drinks kept on flowing and the party seemed to be never ending. But sometime around midnight, Dominick's girlfriend began puking her guts out, and slowly but surely people began realizing it was time to call it a night. Camilla said goodbye to everyone, and accompanied Dom and his lady home to ensure that they would be okay. After making sure the girl didn't have alcohol poisoning, and putting Dom to bed, she was free at last. She was finally going to go home, get into some comfy pj's and shamelessly watch a few episodes of Law and Order SVU.

When she walked into her building the downstairs desk was empty, which was unusual. But she chalked it up to Jerry using the restroom. She took the elevator to her floor, and got out to find an unlikely scene at her door. Jerry wan wrangling with a very annoyed looking Klay Thompson. She stood there speechless was a moment until Jerry noticed her.

"Miss Cadell, this gentleman has been insistent on seeing you and will not leave. Do you want me to call the police?" he asked eagerly, as if he couldn't wait to have Klay arrested.

"No, no, it's fine Jerry," she quickly responded trying to diffuse the situation.

"You know me, Jerry!" an exasperated Klay exclaimed.

"I knew you when Miss Cadell was seeing you. I no longer know you, sir, and unless she says otherwise, you no longer have access to her floor." Jerry was a tough one. Because Camilla didn't exactly explain the reasons for her and Klay's breakup, he naturally took her side and assumed that like many of the other NBA players Klay had cheated on her with a groupie, and that's why they split up. Camilla didn't bother to correct him. It felt nice to have someone so squarely on her side.

Klay looked like he was about to start arguing or throwing punches, so Camilla hurried to open her door.

"It's okay, thank you Jerry, we're fine for now," she gently instructed and Jerry begrudgingly made his way toward the elevator with Klay mad dogging him all the way.

"Come on in, before he actually calls the police," she whispered. Klay followed her inside.

"What...are you doing here?" she asked, setting down all her birthday gift bags by the entrance and flipping on the light switch. The light illuminated Klay's handsome but tired face. Poor guy needed some time off she thought.

"This," he said, waving a FedEx envelope in front of her face.

"It's your card," she said, not understanding why he needed to come all this way to discuss an old credit card.

"I know, but you didn't have to send it back to me on your birthday. It still works, you can use it you know? Get yourself a birthday gift or something," he said and she realized he was slightly intoxicated.

"I don't need to use your card, Klay. Thank you," she replied gently. She felt so many emotions rushing through her upon seeing him again. First she remembered how crazy tall he was. Then she remembered how nice his cologne smelled. And lastly she couldn't stop thinking about how handsome his face was in person. It felt so good to see him again, but she knew him being here was bad news.

"It's your birthday," he stated. "I...I couldn't not say happy birthday. I couldn't not see you, CC," he said using his old nickname for her. It made her heart flutter. He inched closer to her face and she felt her breath stop. Suddenly, his eyes darted to something on the side of her.

"What the hell are those?" he asked, looking at the bouquet of red roses and marching towards the kitchen island to inspect them. Before she had a chance to make something up he exclaimed, "Steve! Who the hell is Steven?"

"Just a co-worker," she hastily replied.

"A co-worker? Sending you red roses? You don't even like roses, or did that change too?" he asked with a passive aggressive tone.

"No, I don't care for them."

"Steven, wow. You said you weren't leaving me for another guy. You said you weren't even looking for another relationship," he stated and squinted his eyes in that way that let Camilla know he was not happy. "Do you wish Steven was here instead of me?" and for a second he sounded like an unsure teenage boy.

"Of course not. I'm...I'm really happy to see you. And trust me, Steven is nobody to me," she replied, trying to reassure him. He didn't look reassured, but he didn't comment on it any further.

"You look...amazing by the way," he said and suddenly she felt self conscious in her tight outfit. "I brought you a gift. Sort of. I know you don't want it, but I don't want it either and I don't want to take it back. So take it, sell it, give it to a friend, donate it, do whatever you want with it. I just can't hold onto it," he said pulling out a little ring box. She felt her face flush at the sight of it and remembered the night he had first shown it to her, got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. That night still replayed in her mind often, and saying "no" to his proposal was the hardest choice she'd ever had to make. And now the ring was back, staring her in the face.

"Klay..." she started.

"Just take it," he said and the tone of his voice left no room for argument. She accepted it, knowing very well that inside was the most gorgeous cushion cut engagement ring she'd ever laid eyes on. It was heartbreaking to think about, because she wanted nothing more than to say yes and be happy with him forever. But it couldn't be so simple, of course not, nothing in her life ever was.

"I hated not spending your birthday with you, and not knowing where you were, and what you were doing, and who you were with," he confessed.

"Klay, you have a game coming up, you have to focus," she said, trying to change the subject because the sight of him was becoming altogether far too distracting.

"I can focus on the game but I need to get you off my mind first," he replied as he closed the space between them. She was too breathless to even try to stop what she knew was about to happen. "I need you," he whispered looking deep into her eyes, and then he pressed his lips to hers.

Their lips met like two forces of nature: strong and wild. She didn't even realize how much she had missed him and his smart mouth. But now she remembered, as his tongue exploring her mouth was the most welcome sensation. His hands traveled further down her back to cup her behind.

"Mmm," he moaned into her mouth and she felt herself getting wet for him. This was bad, this was really bad, but at the speed it was going she had no way to stop it. If she pulled the emergency brake now, they would crash and burn. She had to ride this one out.

Their kiss got more and more hungry and desperate, and his hands began traveling all over her body now, in erratic urgency. She felt an electric shock pulse through her when his finger brushed past her nipple. Klay was the only man who could do this to her, make her completely lose control of herself.

"Oh God baby," she mumbled as the sensations continued to build, and the look in his eyes had her weak. She was completely at his disposal, and would do anything for him in this moment. He picked her up so that her legs were wrapped around his waist, and carried her upstairs into the bedroom. Once he laid her on the bed, with once swift movement he removed his shirt. She loved the way he was built, not skinny but not outrageously muscular either. Just the perfect medium.

"Time to get you out of this sexy little number," he mused, looking down at her little black dress. But first he grabbed her expensive heels and pulled them off her feet, one by one. He then reached around her back and pulled down the zipper of her dress, meanwhile she inhaled his delicious scent. It was a Dior cologne she had bought him a while back, mixed with his own natural scent: a heavenly combination. He pulled off the dress, leaving her in a sexy matching set of black lace underwear.

"This is a sight I could look at forever," he said, then slowly positioned himself on top of her as they began another vigorous kissing session. His tall frame and all two hundred and fifteen pounds of him felt deliciously burdensome on top of her, and she felt herself getting more and more excited with each of his grinds. She also felt his hard manhood press into her underwear. She missed that part of him more than she wanted to admit. Just when she thought she was about to explode from all the overwhelming sensations, she felt his hand make its way inside her panties. She let out a loud moan as his fingers brushed against her sensitive clit, then slowly moved down to her very wet opening. He slid in two fingers with absolute ease, and she was almost embarrassed at how ready she was for him.

"Fuck, you're so wet," he groaned into her ear.

"I need you inside me baby," she begged, the sensation of his fingers driving her crazy. She needed to feel him, all of him, in her. He quickly slipped out of his underwear and pulled off her panties, then pushed his deliciously large yet proportionate cock deep inside of her in one smooth movement. They both groaned in complete ecstasy at the feeling of their bodies reuniting once again in this most intimate way.

He began slowly thrusting in and out of her, and as they looked into each others eyes she knew that she wasn't going to last very long, and by the look in his eyes he wasn't going to either. It had been too long, and the build up to this was too great. As his cock pressed into her once again she felt herself getting incredibly close to her climax.

"Cum for me baby," he begged her and she could feel by his cock growing slightly larger inside of her that he was on the verge of letting go. The thought of his hot cum inside her pushed her over the edge, and she began orgasming in strong pulsating waves, gripping his hard cock and pulling it even further into her. Her orgasm was his last straw, and as he let out a loud groan she felt his cum inside her. He remained on top of her and insider her, letting their breathing slow down. She rubbed his back gently.

"God I missed this," he confessed, slowly rolling off of her and onto his side. She smiled. She missed this and him more than she could ever articulate into words. But with a sad realization, she knew this would have to come to an end eventually. Yet she decided to give them one more night to relive the old times.

"Did you watch the game today?" he asked, switching subjects.

"You know I did." He smiled.

"I always do better when I know you're watching," he confessed.

"Really?" she asked, taken aback and flattered.

"Yeah, I guess I probably secretly try to impress you," he said and she admired his sudden vulnerability, since it was rare for him to open up about his feelings like this.

"I'm always impressed by you. I have been since high school. You know that," she stated plainly. It was true, she always found Klay's athletic ability and drive to succeed impressive. But what she found most impressive was his big heart, the way he loved his family, the way he cared about his teammates. He was a good man, an honorable man, despite the fact that the media would sometimes try to paint him otherwise.

"Yeah, I know mami," he replied and rolled onto his back, deep in thought. Now it was her turn to move onto her side as she nuzzled close to him. What was the harm in cuddling for one night? It was her birthday, after all. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead, but she could tell from the expression on his face he was thinking about something. She wouldn't ask, didn't want to start up the subject again and cause an argument. She just wanted to enjoy this last rendezvous for what it was. And it was right when she was on the verge of that precipice, the state between awake and asleep, when she heard him whisper "I love you" into her hair, and she realized that they had just made things a lot more difficult for themselves.

[fanficimagery]

Anonymous said: Hello my gal! Your writing is so wonderfully fabulous, I'm in love with all of your zach imagines! I was just wondering (when you have the time) if you could do a reader x zach imagine where it's the reader's birthday and he organises the day doing what she loves best (pj movie day with loads of snacks) it's my birthday on Sunday and it would be wonderful if you could :') (only if you have the time gal!) anyways have a lovely day and I'm off to read all your other writings x

So I had some time to hurry and write this. Happy birthday, anon! Hope this is some of what you were looking for.

ZACH X READER 

"Hey, Y/N, what's the theme this year for the big 1-8?" Sheri asks.

"Hmm?"

"Your birthday, silly!" The head cheerleader exclaims. "What are we doing?"

"Oh. Uh, I'm not actually doing anything." Several surprised what's sound from around the lunch table and you chuckle. "It's not that big of a deal, guys. I just- I don't want to do anything this year. I'll probably just sleep in and eat junk food all day."

"And your parents are cool with that?" Jessica wonders. "If I didn't want to do anything, I know my Dad would still make me have dinner with the family at least."

"Parents left on a cruise this morning," you shrug. "They'll be gone for two weeks."

"What the shit!" Bryce exclaims. "Dempsey, my man," he claps your boyfriend on the shoulder. "Tell your girl that we need to party. She's got the whole house to herself, bro!"

Zach laughs, but one look at your grimace and he shakes his head. "Nah, man. My girl wants to chill, she'll chill. It's her day."

You flash him a grateful smile, scooting a little closer to hum and tucking yourself into his side. "You can come over," you happily tell him. "You're allowed, but no one else."

"Ah, so it's a sex thing," Monty muses. "Got it."

You roll your eyes. "Don't be gross. I just want to relax on my birthday and not have to worry about some weak punk ass not being able to hold their alcohol."

Monty smirks, but backs off. "Point taken."

As the bell rings to signify the end of the lunch period, you and Zach linger behind to let the worst of the crowd go ahead.

"You really want a lazy day in?" He asks.

"Mmm. Yes, please. Pajamas all day, food and movies. I don't want to get dressed."

He chuckles some more and presses his lips in a lingering kiss to the side of your head. "As you wish, baby."

Saturday morning rolls around and you smile sleepily as Zach snuffles in his sleep. He had spent the night last night, promising you breakfast in bed, but it seems he was too tired to get up himself. And glancing at the clock just on the other side of him, you realize that lunch would be better suited than breakfast anyway.

"Babe. Pst. Babe," you mutter, poking his ribs. Zach twitches in his sleep, making you giggle, and you decide to mess with him some more. 

"Baabbbeeee." You then lightly drag the tips of your fingernails across his abdomen, watching the muscles twitch beneath your hand. You clamp your lips shut to keep from laughing aloud, and trail your nails lightly up towards his chest.

Zach laughs in his sleep, but before you can find too much amusement a hand clamps around your wrist. "Stop," he mumbles. "Sleep time."

"Babe. It's my birthday. Stop being a debbie downer and lets move this sleepy party downstairs."

"Mmm." Zach continues to doze for another minute, his eyes popping open wide the next. "I forgot to make you breakfast!"

You laugh. "It's fine. I've had your cooking before and I gotta say, I'm kind of glad you slept in. I was hoping for take-out this weekend anyway."

"Punk." Zach stretches before sitting up and scooting out of bed, you watching as he pads barefoot and clad in nothing but green boxer briefs across you room towards his overnight bag. Sometimes you really hate the fact that both you and Zach promised both your parents that you'd abstain from sex until after high school. Really, really hate it. "Take a picture. It'll last longer."

"..what? Shut up."

Zach smirks before tossing you a package. "No. Seriously. Take a picture." With the package in your own hands, you glance down at the nondescript wrapping paper. "Happy birthday."

Smiling like an idiot, you happily tear open the package and tear open the box. Inside you find a vintage polaroid camera. "Babe.."

"I have a lot of film at my house, too. I was going to wrap it all separately, but that was just too much."

"Babe!" You're smiling like an idiot again, setting down the camera before scrambling off the bed and rushing your boyfriend. He greets you with open arms and you jump so that he catches you, and wrap your legs around his waist. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

You pepper kisses all over his face, giggling as Zach laughs. His hands settle beneath your thighs and he carries you over to the bed before dropping you. "Come on. Go shower and change into fresh pajamas. I'll shower in the guest bathroom."

You pick up the camera, checking to see if it has film and when you realize it does, you point it at Zach and snap a picture of him leaning over you. You then take the picture between two fingers, flapping it back and forth gently as you set down the camera on your nightstand. "Mhm. If you get out first, order in some pizza and wings. I'm starving."

Zach leans further down to press a brief kiss to your lips. "Will do." As he turns and walks away, the muscles in his back plus his ass make you itch to snap another pic. So you do. 

He startles at the click! and whirls around. "Did you just.."

"You bet your sweet ass I did. Now hurry up," you laugh. "The birthday girl wants her pizza before she gets out of the shower."

You both head your separate ways and you take your sweet time in the shower. You try to pamper yourself as best as you can, wishing you had opted for a bath instead, but make do well enough. 

Happily fresh, and clad in the fuzziest pajama bottoms and only flannel long-sleeve you own, you skip on downstairs. The couch is already made up with numerous blankets and pillows, and the food is waiting on the coffee table. Netflix is waiting for you on the flat screen and you notice that 'Sixteen Candles' is ready to be played when you're ready to watch it. There's a birthday banner hanging above the flat screen and bouquets of balloons taped down on either side of said flat screen.

"Best. Boyfriend. Ever."

"I know I am." Zach re-enters the room, hair slick with water and glasses of soda in hand. 

"How did you even have time for the balloons and banner?"

"A gentleman never reveal his secrets."

You snort, walking up to him and raising up on the tips of your toes. "Mmm. Is that so?"

"Yep."

"Whatever." You quickly kiss him, intent on keeping it short and sweet, but Zach chases your lips. He hums into the kiss and you laugh, licking the tip of his nose before darting away. "Food now. Kisses later."

As the day progresses, 'Sixteen Candles' gives way to 'The Goonies' and then 'Step Brothers'. Zach presents you with Cherry Bomb candies and Sour Gummi Worms, and you squeal in delight when he puts on the one movie you absolutely love and he hates; Hocus Pocus.

Reciting the movie word by word, Zach laughs at you and lets you feed him worms since it makes you happy.

You continue to snack on cold pizza and snuggle into Zach's side when he puts on 'Killer Klowns From Outer Space'. The movie is meant to be classified as horror, but it's so old and cheesy and you laugh through parts of it.

Night falls and after eating your fill of Chinese delivery, you settle in once more for one last movie. 'The Lost Boys' plays on TV  and directly after the end, Zach excuses himself. You lazily kiss him and then decide to clean up, and you freeze in surprise when you enter the kitchen.

Because in the kitchen stands Zach, a chocolate cake with raspberries and drizzled white chocolate waiting for you. Lit candles flicker and Zach beams at you when you gasp in delight. "Happy Birthday, baby!"

[doutzensaintjames-blog]

I See You || Zenada

Tagging → @nevada–saunders Mentions of → Nevada Saunders, Avatar, & a kiss. Time Frame → January 15, 2017 Location →  Doutzen’s Apartment Notes → Doutzen and Nevada watch James Cameron's Avatar together. (OOC: This Chatzy was created while actually watching Avatar, so the jumps go along with various stages of the movie as it progressed live.)

Nevada tapped his toe impatiently while waiting outside Doutzen's apartment. There he held the movie in his hand as well a candy box of cookie dough bites. When the door finally opened, he let out a sigh of relief, "About damn time -- I gotta piss."

Doutzen made sure one last time that she didn't have a bra or something lying around her room or around the apartment before she headed for the door. "I'm coming. I'm coming," she called as she made her way over. Catching a glance at herself in the mirror by the door, before opening it. Doutzen stood to the side so Nevada could enter, "Why didn't you go before? I mean you live just two floors down."

Nevada shrugged his shoulders as he squeezed past the female before shoving the things he carried towards her. Though, without even asking for the bathroom he went off to find it anyway. After relieving himself and washing his hands thoroughly, the male stopped to check himself in the mirror. Tossing the messy mop upon his head, no matter how much he tried to tame the locks it just never wanted to keep. Stepping out of the bathroom he assumed Dou was already in her room, "Dou... Douuu," he called out not wanting to accidentally enter the wrong room since she had a roommate.

Doutzen took the movie and cookie dough from Nev, and watched as he scurried away. She laughed at his retreating back. The brunette decided to take the things to her room. She set the cookie dough down on the serving cart she had sitting next to her bed, which already had chips, queso, and salsa along with a few sodas. Doutzen preferred nachos over popcorn at movies. She was preparing to put the movie into her DVD player when she heard Nev calling her. "Over here," she called. "Come to the light."

Nevada squinted as he walked down the hall to the open bedroom, where he closed the door behind. He saw the tray of nachos and his eyes grew big. "Yum," instantly he went over and dipped a chip in queso and salsa, before shoving in his mouth. "Mnn… dis good."

Doutzen laughed as she turned to look at Nevada with his mouth full. "You have a little," she pointed to the mirroring side of her face, indicating the cheese that ran away. The girl walked over towards him, but turned and climbed onto the bed instead. Taking a chip and eating one, as she went. "Sit. My bed won't bite your fat ass."

Nevada wiped his thumb over his chin collecting the cheese before sticking the thumb in his mouth and licking it off. "Thanks," he spoke while crawling onto the bed and got comfortable. "The bed isn't the one I should be worried about biting my ass."

Doutzen rolled her eyes. "Ha ha ha. I only bite nice asses. Thank you very much. Mean's yours is off the menu." She stuck her tongue out at him, then laid out getting comfortable on her bed.

Nevada gasped, "Well, I'll remember that." He stuck his tongue out towards Doutzen. The male grabbed his cookie dough bites, opening the package and popped a few in his mouth.

Doutzen gave Nevada a huge grin. She reached into the bag and took one. Then turned over to grab the remote from her nightstand before turning back to the spot she was laying on. Doutzen hit play.

Nevada munched on his chocolate, "Have you seen this movie before?" he asked.

Doutzen grabbed a chip and popped it in her mouth. "Yes I have. I like it. You?"

Nevada nodded his head, "I went and saw it in theaters -- it brought out the little kid in me. I was a little zealous that this place wasn't real, because I would have liked to be one of those guys."

Doutzen laughed, glancing over at Nevada. "Of course, you would. Your little wandering soul would have sworn it was in heaven."

Nevada chuckled, reaching over to steal a few chips. "Plus, the main guy is attractive."

Doutzen chuckled. "That always helps. So is Zoe Saldana, even in alien form." She popped his hand. "Don't eat them all."

Nevada nodded again, agreeing with Doutzen. "Ow -- I won't, I've only had a few, jeesh." He pouted pulling his hand back and returning to his cookie dough bites.

Doutzen scooted closer to him, offering him the bowl. "You can have some." She gave him a friendly apologetic smile. "I would like to have an Avatar."

Nevada narrowed his eyes as he reached for another chip, taking one and munching on it. He offered her his box of candy. "That would be nice."

Doutzen took a bite and ate it. "I hate that army guy." She commented.

Nevada turned to her, "Right, he pissed me off so much."

Doutzen nodded her head. Her attention on the film for a moment. Subconsciously she ate her chips. Dipping them in queso, and then in salsa. Doutzen loved the visuals of the film.

Nevada stifled a yawn as he stretched out before him. He was hoping he wouldn't fall asleep half way through the movie, that would be just his luck. Lazily, he reached over for more chips.

Doutzen "How would you feel having that thing come after you?”

Nevada eyes widened at the thought, "I'd probably piss myself to be honest -- I've had bear's almost come at me, and that was scary enough."

Doutzen nodded. "I would have died." She smiled when Zoe's character came on the screen. "She's awesome."

Nevada reached for one of the drinks, opening it and chugging a good amount. "She has her ears stretched, I thought about doing that when I was sixteen, but my mom would have murdered me."

Doutzen made a face. "You would have not looked good with those. I'm glad your mom said no."

Nevada laughed, "I just stuck with tattoos, she made a huge fit for the first one I ever got."

Doutzen "I only know of the elephant." She looked at him trying to see if she could see more. "I wonder what else you're hiding." She smiled at him curiously.

Nevada shrugged, "Who knows if you'll ever see the rest."

Doutzen raised a brow at him. "Ha. You say that like you think I can't." Grabbing another chip and eating it. Doutzen looked back at the movie. The characters had just arrived to the remote location. "How cool would it be to live on a floating rock?"

Nevada poked his tongue out, "You called my ass fat, that means you don't get to see any of this." The male gestured to his body, chuckling. "Fucking awesome."

Doutzen shook her head. "You say that now. But watch, one day you'll get so comfortable around me, you'll be like clothes what." She laughed at her own joke. Doutzen looked back at the film. She placed the chip bowl down back on the cart. Shifting to a more comfortable position as she watched.

Nevada felt the female bump against him as she readjusted. "I don't think my fat ass can fit on this bed with you, scoot over and give me some more room." The male poked at her side, before starting to tickle her.

Doutzen was about to act offended, but she looked at where she was on the bed and noticed she had practically moved to the middle. The brunette was getting ready to move, but Nev started to tickle her. "Hey," she said as she tried to scoot away. "Nev, stop," she couldn't help laughing. Her hands tried to swat him away as she twisted in, which brought her face closer to him and her body farther. "Nev," she giggled.

Nevada reached for Dou as he pulled her back, "Not so fast." Only to tickle the brunette more, until he was just about hovering over her. Nevada suddenly realized how close they had gotten in those few seconds, he almost stopped breathing when staring down at Dou.

Doutzen had a big smile on her face. Just laughing without a care. Her efforts to get away useless as Nev was now above her. When Nev stopped tickling her, she turned her face up to look at him. Laughter still in her eyes, as they locked onto his own. "What?"

Nevada shook his head as if it was an attempt to quiet her. Without any warning the male leaned towards her before pressing his lips to Doutzen's.

Doutzen saw it coming, but her brain didn't register it. She felt his lips on hers. Doutzen wasn't sure how to react. Her hands reached out to his face and lightly she pushed him back to get a better look at his face. "Nev?" she questioned unsure of his kiss or why he did it.

Nevada immediately pulled himself back all the way off the bed as he stood there. "Shit, Dou. Sorry, I don't know what came over me." The male spoke nervously running fingers back through his hair.

Doutzen watched as Nev got away from her in a panic. She sat up straight with her eyes still on him. "Nev, stop." She was still confused as to what just happened. "Nev. It’s fine." The brunette reached a hand out to him. "Come here."

Nevada stared at the female, his jaw tightened as he hesitated. The male kept his hand as his side as he reached the edge of the bed.

Doutzen continued to reach her hand out to him. "Come on, Nev." She gave up trying to wrap her head around what just happened or how she felt about it. "My bed won't bite," she joked with a hesitant smile at him.

Nevada rolled his eyes, "I'm not gonna be cheesy and hold your hand, only when the scary parts come on." He climbed back onto the bed.

Doutzen laughed at his joke. It showed in her eyes. "I'll protect you from the monsters," she smiled scooting back, so that he'd come farther into the bed.

Nevada got comfortable on the bed, reaching for his box of cookie dough bites. "Better."

Doutzen's lips turned up at him. The girl nudged him with her shoulder. "Hey." She waited until he looked back at here. "We're good." It wasn't a question. It was an affirmation. Doutzen truly valued Nev's friendship. It may have started out in the strangest of ways, but she thought that was what made it a good one. He knew things about her that only Ophelia knew. And she trusted him with those things, so she didn't feel like a kiss could threaten that. She wouldn't let it. Nevada was her friend, and she was certain that they were fine.

Nevada stuffed a handful of the chocolates into his mouth just as she nudged him. "Yeah," Nev spoke with a mouthful, before offering the female some of his chocolate. Though, he regretted kissing the brunette and was confused with himself why he would let it happen. Despite not showing it know, Nev would surely beat himself up over it once being along.

Doutzen reached and grabbed a few. "Thank you." Doutzen could feel the shift in the room. Though she chose to ignore it. Her focus never truly went back on the film. Unable to focus on it. She reached over and grabbed the chip bowl again and offered it to him.

Nevada nodded, "You're welcome." The movie was just starting to get to the fight scene, which meant it was coming to an end shortly. This time he grabbed a handful, holding them in his hand as he ate one by one. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

Doutzen pulled the bowl back when he didn't take it. She ate a chip, before answering. There were only a handful left. "Studying, until I have work later," she answered honestly.

Nevada scrunched his nose up, "Ew." The boy finished off the handful of chips he had, his stomach starting to get full from all the chocolate and chips. "Do you want to grab some ice cream sometime tomorrow?"

Doutzen nodded her head. "Yeah." A slow smile took her face. "Yeah. I'd like that," she beamed at him. "You're buying though." Doutzen winked and stuck her tongue out at him.

Nevada groaned like a little child, "Why do I have to buy, I bought our coffee last time." He joked before giving in, "Fine, but nothing fancy."

Doutzen fell back on her bed laughing. "You're buying because you love me, and I'm awesome. And I deserve all the nice things." Twisting her head so she could look at him.

Nevada laughed at the female, before pressing his lips together. The boy's mind came at a standstill when the word love was brought up. Shit -- was he? No, he couldn't be. Was Nevada starting to develop feelings for the female? Quickly shaking the feeling off, the boy shoved against her lightly, "I deserve nice things too."

Doutzen didn't notice his pause, because the movie had caught her attention. "Tell you what, I may have pie in my fridge, and I'll let you have it... And I won't kick you out." She nodded towards the film indicating it had ended. "Sleepover with Doutzen and pie, now if that's not a nice thing I don't know what is."

Nevada perked up quickly at the sound of pie. "What kind of pie?"

Doutzen feigned as if she weren't going to tell him. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she teased before finally saying, "Rhubarb."

Nevada narrowed his eyes, scratching the scruff on his chin as he thought about her answer. "Alright, sounds good to me."

[fitfitnessmagazine]

You don’t have to be Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger to know what grip strengtheners can do. The name of the fitness equipment speaks for itself, or should we suspect that a few first-timers might not know anything about this workout apparatus. Nevertheless, we have this information covered.

Grip exercisers are used to increase the grip strength of our hands. Grip exercises are done to train the arms, wrist, and the corresponding muscles to strengthen or rehabilitate them.

  What are some benefits of having strong hand and forearm strength?

If you play tennis, cricket, or any other sport that requires extensive wrist movement, a hand gripper could prove to be a weakness-beating tool for you. Basically, it can increase your hand strength to help you fire shots like never before. Pretty much, it can help you in your pursuit to be a formidable competitor.

Make no mistake; it’s not just for the pro-athletes out there. The equipment can help anyone out there become more efficient in his/her day-to-day life. For instance, you could be lifting your grocery bags or your kids for a longer period of time without the pain of giving up soon.

It also gives your arms a powerful and strong appearance over time. Not to forget the fact that training with a hand gripper is an easy affair too. For the most part, you are simply grabbing the gripper and shutting it for that supreme squeeze.

When doing other exercises that require hand strength, i.e. hanging leg raises, pull-ups, etc., your grip may give out before the target muscle does. Even the best pull up bars on the market won’t account for a weak grip. The stronger your grip, the easier all overhead pulling exercises will be.

Of course, there are a lot more awesome benefits of hand strengtheners, which can be found all around the web. Frankly speaking, the complete list of benefits would be too big for a single article. So, instead of sounding like an echo of all the other posts out there, we will stop this countdown of hand grippers benefits and move on with some product reviews. Yes, we are all set to get to the meat of the matter. So, stop racing your mind and stay glued to your seat because we are about to separate the best hand grippers from the rest. Stay right there because things will be different from here.

  Best Hand Grip Strengtheners – Our Top Picks

  1. Captains of Crush Hand Strengtheners



As advertised by the makers; these are the best grippers you could ever need in your lifetime. The company claims that the product can improve your grip game like nothing else in the market. For the sake of information, the Captains of Crush Hand Gripper is made in the US and not some unknown corner of the world, where labor is dirt-cheap. The company behind the hand gripper is IronMind, which holds a strong foothold in the strength development fitness market. As such, it has been in the fitness industry since 1988. The chances are that some of you guys were not even born during the company’s inception days.

  Key Features:

It’s incrementally designed, which lets you start on a lighter side and work your way to the top. The coil spring provides the right amount of progression to move up the ladder properly. As such, it’s available in 11 different strength levels to suit the needs of beginners as well as advanced trainees.

The built quality of this hand exercise equipment is impossible to beat. It has top-shelf quality written all over it. Moreover, the makers have your back covered by a one-year product warranty.

Pros:

It’s durable as a military tank built to destroy enemies. This device can be passed on from one generation to another. Hundreds of years from now, this exercise equipment will give your great grandkids a flashback moment of you.

As advertised, it builds hand/forearm strength. This hand gripper gets you training your hands as seriously as your other body parts. You never know, you might be able to crush an apple with a single hand.

The grips are easy on the hands. So, the comfort-factor does exist. In fact, it’s so easy to use the device that you might feel that you have been using it since childhood.

  2. Gripmaster Hand Strengthener – Pro Edition



For a better grip power, the Gripmaster Pro Edition gripper sets the bar high for its rivals. This pro edition pocket-sized gripper is geared towards helping all levels of users achieve peak grip performance without even breaking a sweat. With regular use, it can make every day lifting tasks so much easier. Moreover, it’s sold in different colors to cater to the needs of picky shoppers. The Gripmaster Pro Edition gripper is highly recommended for those who are already involved in some kind of physical activities.

  Key Features:

It’s smartly designed to isolate each finger to reduce strain and imbalance while performing any grip exercise. The spring-loaded finger piston technology gets the job done over here. Furthermore, it features rubber pads to reduce slippage.

For supreme hand, wrist, and forearm strength, it offers 13 pounds of resistance on each finger. Therefore, one could develop great crushing power down the road. Unlike the competition, it’s a little wider in size. So, it can suit guys with bigger hands as well.

Pros:

At first, your fingers might hate you, but it won’t take too long to fall in love with the equipment. For those who don’t know, the makers provide web-based exercise program on their site, which makes all the difference in the world. Every user gets a chance to learn the proper form and technique to make the most out of the equipment.

It fits right into most pockets. So, one can easily carry this gripper around almost unnoticed. Those who have sitting jobs can work on this equipment during those periodic stretch breaks. Perhaps, there is no better solution for casual grip conditioning at work.

It may be small enough for your pockets, but it’s big enough to offer a great workout. Unlike other inferior grippers, this one won’t break or crumble to bring tears to your eyes. It’s strongly built to keep your regime going for well over a decade. Simply put, it won’t fall apart at least in this decade.

  3. Gripmaster Hand Exerciser

The Gripmaster Hand Exerciser offers a portable way to improve grip strength. It’s sold in different colors and three levels of tension to vastly improve forearm, wrist, and hand strength at all fitness levels. Over time, it can build immense crushing power. Of course, don’t try to crush someone’s hand during a handshake. On a serious note, it’s a practical and affordable solution to improve everyday fitness without throwing an arm and a leg. So, this hand gripper doesn’t let weak fingers stay weak forever.

  Key Features:

It’s ergonomically designed to fit well in most hands. Moreover, it’s smart and lightweight as well. Although it’s quite small in size, it has a solid built to it. Right off the bat, you will be able to tell that the gripper will last forever.

The well-thought design of the product allows you to do various hand exercises to take your grip power to the next level. As such, the package comes with a complete workout guide to help one perform different exercises with the equipment at varying strength intensity.

Pros:

The gripper is used by pro athletes as well.  As such, anyone above the age of 12 can use this workout apparatus to see some serious results. It’s perfect for rock climbers, sports athletes, guitar players, or anyone else who might feel the need to open a pickle jar at some point in his/her life.

If you lead a stressed life like tons of other people on planet Earth, this equipment will be able to provide you great relief from stress as well. It has somewhat of a squeeze ball effect on our body. So, you can use this product for hand conditioning as well as for daily stress relief.

  4. Finger and Grip Strengthening Therapy Stress Balls

These egg-shaped balls can be bought for therapy, stress relief, and grip strengthening. With multiple levels of hardness, they are perfect for all these tasks. They are made from thermoplastic rubber, and are latex and BPA free. To get a workout, one simply needs to squeeze, hold, and release. Of course, repeat as well!

Key Features:

The balls are available in three strength density to target the strongest and the weakest muscle. Each one has a sufficiently different feel to it, so can one work up to the hardest one with regular use. Moreover, the small device size makes it easy to carry around in one’s pocket or handbag.

The colorful balls are beautifully made to be a people-pleaser. They look like some kind of artwork, so even if you don’t like working out, you will feel self-motivated to grab them whenever you get stressed in life.

Pros:

The stress balls offer a very comfortable feel and a satisfying squeeze during use. Basically, the size and feel of the stress balls are unmatched. People of all ages can benefit from these stress balls. They are perfect for smaller as well as bigger hands. They look cute as well.

The nice trio of balls can provide one with a great escape outlet from day-to-day stress in addition to conditioning one’s hands, wrist, and forearms. Frankly speaking, it’s very helpful and can last till gravity exists. For a small price, you are literally getting a lightning deal.

  5. Wrist Ripper – Forearm Strengthener

The Wrist Ripper fitness apparatus will add a whole new dimension to one’s forearm strengthening arsenal. It’s considered by many as the best forearm strengthener out there on the market today.  It gives one the ability to hold on the outside and inside to work one’s forearms in two different ways. It plays an excellent role in wrist and hand strengthening as well. With regular use, it can do wonders to one’s forearms.

Key Features:

For workout flexibility, the band can be adjusted to the desired length. Also, the device allows one to switch workout routines effectively. One can either go for lots of reps with low weights or low reps with heavier weights. Either way, one can expect an excellent pump and muscle burn for the satisfying workout effect.

The Wrist Ripper has comfortable grips around the holding area and also on the ends. It doesn’t slip even when you sweat.  Moreover, the straps and handles are very sturdy too. Better yet, the straps stay at the center at all times during use. Therefore, you can focus on your form and not on adjusting the strap.

Pros:

It’s sturdier than its flimsy and cheap competition, and the handles do not slip during use. Given the quality and functionality, it produces wrist fatigue sooner showing you how effective it actually is. Yes, this equipment can get your muscle sore really fast (which is a good thing).

There are several grip options to attack the forearms from different angles. Most users are seemingly satisfied with the device and the results as well. After all, it gets the job done at a reasonable price point. It’s a tad bit expensive, but it has all the logical and practical features to please a user.

  Benefits of Grip Strengtheners & Forearm Strength

Let’s come back to the benefit of grip and forearm strengthening exercises to complete the unfinished business. As we suspected, people are seemingly interested in finding out more about the benefits of forearms and grip strengthening exercises. Typical workout routines and home gym setups don’t account for grip strength. So, let’s dive right back into the topic of hand grippers benefits.

  Enhanced Hand Resilience:

Your hand resilience will certainly shoot up once you train on a regular basis, preferably on the best grip strengthener. As you keep performing grip and forearm strengthening exercises, you will end up increasing the amount of force that your hands can handle. From the practical standpoint, this will be of great help for you. For instance, you will be able to hold heavy boxes, shopping bags, and other objects for much longer than before without burdening the rest of the body. Obviously, this endurance boost is a gratifying side-effect of grip and forearm strengthening exercises.

Time-Worthy:

Office-bound guys hardly have any time left for personal life or workout. Since grip strength and forearm strength exercises can be performed anywhere on the go within a short amount of time, most time-pressed individuals should have no reasons not to deploy hand grippers whenever they have some spare time in hand.  Most of the modern-day best grippers can be easily carried around in the pocket. Moreover, the hand strengthener equipment can be used for long or short workout sessions depending on the time in hand. Of course, if you are the type of person with a plateau list of excuses for everything and anything, then even a handy and pocket-sized gripper might be of no help for you.

  Better Dexterity:

Hand exercisers can help with strength and conditioning and can work on developing your fingers independently. As a result, you will get better at any activity that involves the use of your fingers. For instance, you will be playing your guitar much better than before due to the improved dexterity. You could get better at your gym activities. You will see yourself pulling and pushing much better. You could also become a better climber. You might become a better boxer as well. To top it all, you could end up being a better typist too. Basically, the improved strength and mobility in your fingers can prove to be helpful in many walks of life.

  Ease of Use:

The major benefit of grip strengthening and forearm strength exercises is the ease of use. You could be using a hand gripper while watching your favorite TV show, or while reading a book, or while gossiping with your friends. People also use it in a conference room. This might sound a bit shitty, but you could also use it while shitting in your toilet. Forget everything! You can do hand grip strengthening workouts even when you are bedridden. Unlike a gym-style workout, you won’t face time or space barrier while performing hand exercises for better strength and mobility.

  Injury Prevention:

Hand grip strengthening exercises also help in injury prevention by strengthening the arms, wrist, and forearms. The great conditioning can keep you scot-free from injuries in many ways because your weak muscles might have already caught up with the strong ones. Even if you were to suffer an injury around the working area, you would recover sooner because you have already strengthened the muscles and the connective tissues through the use of hand exercisers.

  Last Words On Hand Grip Strengtheners

  Hand strength is very important for each one of us. Those who use hand strengthening tools look back at their lives and wonder what their lives would have been without them. These guys were able to extract so much more from their day-to-day lives with the help of a pocket-sized strength building equipment. As hinted before, studies have shown that hand grip strengtheners can be a great stress reliever tool as well. So, they provide users with ample reasons to be grateful. Truthfully speaking, the tool could be a life-changer on many fronts. Once you get hooked to hand & forearm strengtheners, there’s no looking back because they truly work like magic.

The post 5 Best Hand Grip Strengtheners To Improve Grip Strength appeared first on Fit Fitness Magazine.

[newssplashy]

Guy Smarts: 8 things to know before hiring a personal trainer

There's tons of information available online and programs designed by professionals to help you to get in shape, but it can be worth it to take a more personalized approach.

If you want to get fit but you don't know how, that's no cause for shame or despair.

No one is an expert in every field - so instead of puttering aimlessly around the gym, you should turn to someone whose sole focus is helping people to transform into their best selves.

There's tons of information available online and programs designed by professionals to help you to get in shape, but it can be worth it to take a more personalized approach.

If you can afford it, hiring a personal trainer is an excellent option, particularly if you struggle with keeping yourself motivated.

You’re less likely to bail on your workout when someone (or something - in this case, your wallet) holds you accountable, and a trainer can give you that extra push out the door when you're trying to decide whether or not to do your morning workout.

But how can you find a good trainer? And if you've already hired someone to design your training plan, how can you be sure you’re working with the right one? Even if a trainer has credentials up the wazoo, it doesn’t necessarily mean he or she is the best option for you and your goals.

When it comes down to it, you’re putting in the time, money, and effort for your new and improved body, so you better make it worth your while. Here are eight things you need to keep in mind before hiring a personal trainer.

Outline your goals

 The first step in your newly-focused fitness journey should be establishing exactly what you're trying to accomplish. Do you have definite targets for your training, or do you simply have a nebulous aim to "get fit"?

Having broad goals is OK, but you shouldn't make a major financial and personal decision like hiring a coach if you don't have a few well-defined objectives for your training plan. Start with something simple, like a target body weight or race time, or even a goal as basic as working up to the ability to perform 10 pullups. Make sure the objectives are things you truly care about.

The best trainers listen to what the client is trying to accomplish.

Once you start talking to potential candidates, you can streamline your goals and even come up with new ones with their help and expertise. But if you start without any idea of what you're trying to accomplish, you'll be more likely to fall in with a trainer who won't push you to your full potential. 

Take your budget into account

As with most things in life, a personal trainer will cost you. Prices may vary based on geographic location, gym affiliation (some trainers are affiliated with a gym, while others have an independent practice), and more. But a trainer can have a hefty price tag, especially if the trainer has higher education or a large Instagram following.

“I'd say a normal high quality experience trainer can charge between $125 and $200 per session. There are certainly those who can command much higher fees, but those are based on demand and a long track record of proven results,” Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS, former Head Physical Therapist/Strength Coach with the New York Mets and Men’s Health advisor, told MensHealth.com.

Before burning a hole in your wallet, decide the absolute top dollar amount you can afford or are willing to pay. Once you find a potential trainer, discuss the possibility of a discount. Perhaps there’s a deal for getting a package and paying up front, or maybe you can even split the session and cost with a friend.

Don't be fooled by a big name (or a big follower count)

 In the age of celebrity or Instagram-famous personal trainers, it's important to know that a big name doesn't tell you a whole lot. While some high-profile trainers may have credentials, others might not.

“Celebrity trainers aren't necessarily good trainers. They could just be in the right area at the right time,”said Cavaliere.

Keep in mind that celebrity trainers are only worth the investment if they have safely generated results for their clients and are still being hired by other celebrities. So if someone lists a celebrity client on their website, that doesn't necessarily mean much by itself.

Similarly, a high follower count on social media doesn't guarantee that they actually know what they're doing with clients. They might just be a pretty face or a flashy set of abs - selfies and brand sponsorships are not personal training credentials.

Ask them about their credentials

On that note: Technically, literally anyone can advertise themselves as a personal trainer. That’s why it’s important to find someone with real credentials - which come in the form of letters at the end of their name.

You're forgiven if those just look like alphabet soup to you now, but you need to learn up before making hiring someone.

“If you don't know what the letters mean, ask... and then look it up,”Cavaliere advised. “If they come from graduate degrees in related health/science fields from accredited universities, even better.”

So how do you know you’re in good hands? You’ll want to be sure your trainer attended an organization that is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), which is nationally recognized as being a reliable predictor of sports medicine and exercise knowledge. “The gold standard in the industry is the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). The NSCA-CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) or NSCA-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer) certifications are the two to look for,” said Cavaliere.

Other certifications worth having: NASM-CPT (National American Sports Medicine) ACSM-CPT (American College of Sports Medicine), or ACE-CPT (American Council on Exercise) all indicate some level of credibility.

Identify their area of expertise

Every personal trainer has their own focus. Some trainers work with those struggling with joint pain, while others might work solely with elderly clients building bone density and improving balance. It’s important to find a program that works best for you. If a trainer's programming is built around HIIT workouts that leave you drenched in sweat and out of breath, that type of warrior-style mentality won’t cut it if you love doing yoga, or if you struggle with chronic knee pain.

“There is definitely more than one way to program workouts for fat loss, muscle growth, etc. So find the one that meshes best with your style and go with that. There’s nothing worse than hating everything you're doing in a workout,” according to Cavaliere.

If you’re still unsure, ask the trainer for what they typically include in a program and ask about their other clientele. If your trainer works mostly with bodybuilders, you’ll know their style is geared towards building bigger muscles and strength. So if you’re looking to work on leaning out (rather than bulking up), maybe you should hire someone else.

See if their personality is compatible with yours

“Trainers can differ in their method of motivation (some are more prone to screaming, while others can be steely-eyed but encouraging), or their methods of getting the job done,” Cavaliere said.

If the trainer seems rigid and uncompromising, and you’re more of a laid-back type, it’s probably not going to be a good fit. If your personality doesn’t mesh with that of your trainer, that’s a problem.

Conversely, it’s also a problem if you get along too well. If you’re too busy chatting during workouts to get in another set of deadlifts, it’s going to interfere with the rate of your progress. While you want a trainer who is encouraging and fun to be around (you don’t want to spend all that time with a drill-sergeant-type you can’t stand, right?), you need to make sure you’re still being pushed to your limits and are achieving your goals.

Ask them questions - but listen to what questions they ask you

 Make sure your trainer checks in with you before trying to put you on a program. That means asking questions about your diet and previous fitness routine beyond your current weight. 

The trainer should also ask you if you are on any medications, as some, like certain asthma medications, can influence your heart rate. If you’re asked to do 10 burpees in 20 seconds, you could be causing undue strain on your heart, so this is really important for them to know.

A good trainer will also inquire about your history of injuries (recent or chronic). “I'd evaluate every major joint (ankles, knees, hips, lower back, thoracic spine, shoulders, elbows, wrists) to see if I could uncover reasons for the injury or potential weak links in the kinetic chain that will cause future breakdown,” Cavaliere explained.

“I'd also ask about any current training regimens. What have they been doing most recently and at what consistency level?" he said. This can help to identify a client's goals (which we've already established is a major factor in picking a trainer) and motivation level.

Ask yourself if you're making progress

If you’ve been training for a while but you’re not seeing tangible results, it’s OK to move on and find someone new - especially if you wind up with a bad trainer. Sometimes it’s just not the right match, but it might take a few months to see that. Give it a good four to six weeks, Cavaliere advised, at which point you should start seeing some definite results.

"The best trainers listen to what the client is trying to accomplish and provide them with the shortest, most direct path for getting there,” Cavaliere said. “Great trainers do not create clients that are dependent on them for their fitness, but rather choose to use them simply because they feel they get more out of them than they can do on their own.”

If your trainer doesn’t check those boxes for you, it’s OK to kick them to the curb.

source http://www.newssplashy.com/2018/08/guy-smarts-8-things-to-know-before.html

[cristinajourdanqp]

How Should We Harness Behavioral Economics for Better Health?

As much as humans think they’re objective beings whose every decision emerges from cold logical calculation, we’re just irrational, emotional animals. That’s why stories and anecdotes are more convincing than facts, why people fear losing money twice as much as they enjoy making it, and why the guy making $100k per year feels poor if his neighbors make twice that. This kind of phenomenon is best explained by behavioral economics, a method of economic inquiry that uses psychological, emotional, cognitive, and social factors to explain why we make the often-irrational financial choices we do. And it has some interesting applications for health….

In a recent piece in the NY Times, a doctor discussed how health care professionals are beginning to leverage behavioral economics to make their patients healthier. He begins with a few examples of behavioral economics in action.

People are more likely to choose an option if it’s the default position. In one study, countries where people had to opt-out of organ donation had organ donor rates of over 90%, compared to donor rates of 4 to 27% in places where people had to opt-in.

People are more likely to make a decision when given fewer options. Too many options make decision-making harder, as anyone who’s spent two hours reading hand blender reviews on Amazon before giving up and ordering nothing can tell you.

While we wait for the experts and authorities to fine-tune their benevolent social nudges, how can we take advantage of behavioral economics for our own health?

Penalties Work Better Than Rewards

People hate losing money. Future rewards are just that: in the future. They’re abstractions. Forking over money, placing your own hard-earned cash in limbo while you succeed or fail is very real. You had money, then it went away. That’s happening in the present moment, and you feel it—rather poignantly. As behavioral economics pioneers Kahneman and Tversky said in 1979, “losses loom larger than gains.”

Stickk was created by a behavioral economist who knew the power of loss aversion. With StickK, users interested in accomplishing a goal formally make a commitment to reach that goal by a certain date and put some of their own money on the line to be forfeited if the commitment is not fulfilled. You set the goal, lay out the stakes of your commitment (how much money, if any, will you put on the line, and where will the money go if you fail?), choose a “referee” to track your progress, keep you honest and report your progress to StickK, and choose other StickK users as supporters to cheer you on. Choose a goal template or create your own from scratch. Goals can be ongoing commitments requiring constant check-ins, or one-time things where you either succeed or fail.

Another option is Pavlok, a device created by the guy who paid a woman off Craigslist to slap him across the face each time he stopped focusing on his work. You strap the Pavlok onto your wrist—it looks a lot like a FitBit—and decide on a bad habit you’d like to break or a good one you’d like to establish. Each time you fail to hold your side of the bargain, the Pavlok zaps you with a mild but uncomfortable electric shock. (This option might not be for everyone, but I’d love to hear from those who do try it.)

Don’t Shop When You’re Hungry

Shopping for anything when hungry is a bad idea. Studies show that hunger increases the amount we spend, even if we’re shopping for something totally unrelated to food. When you’re hungry, you desire more of everything.

Hungry grocery shoppers make worse choices, too, choosing unhealthier, higher-calorie junk food over healthier, lower-calorie real food.

To this, I’d also add the tangentially related “Don’t go out to eat at an expensive sushi restaurant if you’re starving.” There’s no quicker way to run up a bill.

If you must go shopping while hungry, prepare a list beforehand. That list will be your life vest of rationality in the stormy, boiling sea of gurgling stomach juices drifting you toward the snack aisle.

Sink Your Costs in Health

You may have heard of the “sunk cost fallacy”—which describes how people feel compelled to stick with something they’ve already paid for, even if it’s horrible, just to “get their money’s worth.” It usually refers to a negative, harmful behavior.

Sometimes the sunk cost mentality is helpful, though. Wasting 3 hours of your life on an awful movie just bcause you paid $12 is bad. Going to the gym three times a week for a full year because you paid $1000 for the year membership up front is good. Both are sunk costs, but one has a good result. Other examples of positive sunk costs include personal training sessions, massage sessions, expensive exercise equipment (barbells, stationary bikes, kettlebells, etc).

Price matters here. The sunk cost effect will be greater the higher your initial investment. It’s harder to ignore a $1000-a-year membership at the local powerlifting gym than it is to ignore the Planet Fitness package you got for less than $100.

Surround Yourself with People Making the Choices You Want to Make

According to a 2013 study, people tend to converge to the lowest common denominator. Office workers were all given access to treadmill desks, then followed for six months. When people got regular updates about everyone else’s treadmill usage, they used them less, regressed to the lowest common denominator. When people didn’t know how often the others were using the treadmills, usage went up.

Since social media and basic physical proximity make it nearly impossible ot avoid knowing what everyone else is doing, your best bet is to surround yourself with people doing awesome, healthy things on a regular basis. Follow Facebook and Instagram friends with healthy habits. Train at a gym where the other people’s feats inspire you. Make sure the lowest common denominator is higher than most.

Order Groceries

When you’re at the grocery store, even a healthy one like Whole Foods, they’re tugging on your emotions and base desires at every turn. I don’t fault them for it. It’s how merchandising works. Just know that’s what you’re walking into, unless you decide not to walk into the store at all.

These days, that’s actually possible. You can order groceries from a place like Thrive (my favorite) or Instacart. Instead of idly browsing through the entire store’s inventory, where you might run into something junky, you search for the exact categories you want, and then you browse. If you don’t want the gluten-free almond flour macaroons you can’t ever walk past, you simply don’t search for them.

Don’t Just Imagine the Worst Possible Scenario—Feel It

In an effort to dissuade cigarette usage, many countries have established laws requiring the use of graphic warning labels that depict potential consequences of long-term smoking, in lurid detail. Does the sight of a cancerous orifice, tracheotomy hole, or dead body make people more likely to try quitting? It appears so. Graphic warning labels correlate with both more attempts to quit and reduced rates of smoking. 

This can work for everyday health practices, too. Immerse yourself in graphic, visceral evidence of the worst thing than can happen to you if you don’t lose weight/exercise/do what you need to do.

Prediabetic? Rev up the images of diabetic foot amputations and festering sores.

Stiff and inactive? Look up knee replacements, watch arthroscopic surgery videos.

Make Healthy Food and Exercise the Default

We stick with the default option more often than not. It’s harder to opt-out than opt-in. Make it so that you have to opt-out of eating right and exercising.

Every Sunday, do meal prep for the rest of the week. Cook up a big batch of something. That way, if you want something unhealthy, you have to “opt-out” of eating the healthy food you already have prepared and ready to go. This also works on smaller scales, such as keeping hard-boiled eggs on hand or chopping veggies and prepping salad makings days in advance.

A few ideas for making exercise and movement the default position:

Start active commuting to work.

Eliminate your office chair. Force yourself to stand (or walk).

Keep a kettlebell (or barbell, or dumbbell, or weight vest, or any piece of equipment) right outside your bedroom door. Whenever you wake up, there it is waiting for you.

Behavioral economics is powerful and, in my opinion, quite accurate. Most of us “use” it every day without even realizing it. How else can you leverage behavioral economics to make it easier to eat, move, and live Primally?

Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care.

[watsonrodriquezie]

How Should We Harness Behavioral Economics for Better Health?

As much as humans think they’re objective beings whose every decision emerges from cold logical calculation, we’re just irrational, emotional animals. That’s why stories and anecdotes are more convincing than facts, why people fear losing money twice as much as they enjoy making it, and why the guy making $100k per year feels poor if his neighbors make twice that. This kind of phenomenon is best explained by behavioral economics, a method of economic inquiry that uses psychological, emotional, cognitive, and social factors to explain why we make the often-irrational financial choices we do. And it has some interesting applications for health….

In a recent piece in the NY Times, a doctor discussed how health care professionals are beginning to leverage behavioral economics to make their patients healthier. He begins with a few examples of behavioral economics in action.

People are more likely to choose an option if it’s the default position. In one study, countries where people had to opt-out of organ donation had organ donor rates of over 90%, compared to donor rates of 4 to 27% in places where people had to opt-in.

People are more likely to make a decision when given fewer options. Too many options make decision-making harder, as anyone who’s spent two hours reading hand blender reviews on Amazon before giving up and ordering nothing can tell you.

While we wait for the experts and authorities to fine-tune their benevolent social nudges, how can we take advantage of behavioral economics for our own health?

Penalties Work Better Than Rewards

People hate losing money. Future rewards are just that: in the future. They’re abstractions. Forking over money, placing your own hard-earned cash in limbo while you succeed or fail is very real. You had money, then it went away. That’s happening in the present moment, and you feel it—rather poignantly. As behavioral economics pioneers Kahneman and Tversky said in 1979, “losses loom larger than gains.”

Stickk was created by a behavioral economist who knew the power of loss aversion. With StickK, users interested in accomplishing a goal formally make a commitment to reach that goal by a certain date and put some of their own money on the line to be forfeited if the commitment is not fulfilled. You set the goal, lay out the stakes of your commitment (how much money, if any, will you put on the line, and where will the money go if you fail?), choose a “referee” to track your progress, keep you honest and report your progress to StickK, and choose other StickK users as supporters to cheer you on. Choose a goal template or create your own from scratch. Goals can be ongoing commitments requiring constant check-ins, or one-time things where you either succeed or fail.

Another option is Pavlok, a device created by the guy who paid a woman off Craigslist to slap him across the face each time he stopped focusing on his work. You strap the Pavlok onto your wrist—it looks a lot like a FitBit—and decide on a bad habit you’d like to break or a good one you’d like to establish. Each time you fail to hold your side of the bargain, the Pavlok zaps you with a mild but uncomfortable electric shock. (This option might not be for everyone, but I’d love to hear from those who do try it.)

Don’t Shop When You’re Hungry

Shopping for anything when hungry is a bad idea. Studies show that hunger increases the amount we spend, even if we’re shopping for something totally unrelated to food. When you’re hungry, you desire more of everything.

Hungry grocery shoppers make worse choices, too, choosing unhealthier, higher-calorie junk food over healthier, lower-calorie real food.

To this, I’d also add the tangentially related “Don’t go out to eat at an expensive sushi restaurant if you’re starving.” There’s no quicker way to run up a bill.

If you must go shopping while hungry, prepare a list beforehand. That list will be your life vest of rationality in the stormy, boiling sea of gurgling stomach juices drifting you toward the snack aisle.

Sink Your Costs in Health

You may have heard of the “sunk cost fallacy”—which describes how people feel compelled to stick with something they’ve already paid for, even if it’s horrible, just to “get their money’s worth.” It usually refers to a negative, harmful behavior.

Sometimes the sunk cost mentality is helpful, though. Wasting 3 hours of your life on an awful movie just bcause you paid $12 is bad. Going to the gym three times a week for a full year because you paid $1000 for the year membership up front is good. Both are sunk costs, but one has a good result. Other examples of positive sunk costs include personal training sessions, massage sessions, expensive exercise equipment (barbells, stationary bikes, kettlebells, etc).

Price matters here. The sunk cost effect will be greater the higher your initial investment. It’s harder to ignore a $1000-a-year membership at the local powerlifting gym than it is to ignore the Planet Fitness package you got for less than $100.

Surround Yourself with People Making the Choices You Want to Make

According to a 2013 study, people tend to converge to the lowest common denominator. Office workers were all given access to treadmill desks, then followed for six months. When people got regular updates about everyone else’s treadmill usage, they used them less, regressed to the lowest common denominator. When people didn’t know how often the others were using the treadmills, usage went up.

Since social media and basic physical proximity make it nearly impossible ot avoid knowing what everyone else is doing, your best bet is to surround yourself with people doing awesome, healthy things on a regular basis. Follow Facebook and Instagram friends with healthy habits. Train at a gym where the other people’s feats inspire you. Make sure the lowest common denominator is higher than most.

Order Groceries

When you’re at the grocery store, even a healthy one like Whole Foods, they’re tugging on your emotions and base desires at every turn. I don’t fault them for it. It’s how merchandising works. Just know that’s what you’re walking into, unless you decide not to walk into the store at all.

These days, that’s actually possible. You can order groceries from a place like Thrive (my favorite) or Instacart. Instead of idly browsing through the entire store’s inventory, where you might run into something junky, you search for the exact categories you want, and then you browse. If you don’t want the gluten-free almond flour macaroons you can’t ever walk past, you simply don’t search for them.

Don’t Just Imagine the Worst Possible Scenario—Feel It

In an effort to dissuade cigarette usage, many countries have established laws requiring the use of graphic warning labels that depict potential consequences of long-term smoking, in lurid detail. Does the sight of a cancerous orifice, tracheotomy hole, or dead body make people more likely to try quitting? It appears so. Graphic warning labels correlate with both more attempts to quit and reduced rates of smoking. 

This can work for everyday health practices, too. Immerse yourself in graphic, visceral evidence of the worst thing than can happen to you if you don’t lose weight/exercise/do what you need to do.

Prediabetic? Rev up the images of diabetic foot amputations and festering sores.

Stiff and inactive? Look up knee replacements, watch arthroscopic surgery videos.

Make Healthy Food and Exercise the Default

We stick with the default option more often than not. It’s harder to opt-out than opt-in. Make it so that you have to opt-out of eating right and exercising.

Every Sunday, do meal prep for the rest of the week. Cook up a big batch of something. That way, if you want something unhealthy, you have to “opt-out” of eating the healthy food you already have prepared and ready to go. This also works on smaller scales, such as keeping hard-boiled eggs on hand or chopping veggies and prepping salad makings days in advance.

A few ideas for making exercise and movement the default position:

Start active commuting to work.

Eliminate your office chair. Force yourself to stand (or walk).

Keep a kettlebell (or barbell, or dumbbell, or weight vest, or any piece of equipment) right outside your bedroom door. Whenever you wake up, there it is waiting for you.

Behavioral economics is powerful and, in my opinion, quite accurate. Most of us “use” it every day without even realizing it. How else can you leverage behavioral economics to make it easier to eat, move, and live Primally?

Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care.

[milenasanchezmk]

How Should We Harness Behavioral Economics for Better Health?

As much as humans think they’re objective beings whose every decision emerges from cold logical calculation, we’re just irrational, emotional animals. That’s why stories and anecdotes are more convincing than facts, why people fear losing money twice as much as they enjoy making it, and why the guy making $100k per year feels poor if his neighbors make twice that. This kind of phenomenon is best explained by behavioral economics, a method of economic inquiry that uses psychological, emotional, cognitive, and social factors to explain why we make the often-irrational financial choices we do. And it has some interesting applications for health….

In a recent piece in the NY Times, a doctor discussed how health care professionals are beginning to leverage behavioral economics to make their patients healthier. He begins with a few examples of behavioral economics in action.

People are more likely to choose an option if it’s the default position. In one study, countries where people had to opt-out of organ donation had organ donor rates of over 90%, compared to donor rates of 4 to 27% in places where people had to opt-in.

People are more likely to make a decision when given fewer options. Too many options make decision-making harder, as anyone who’s spent two hours reading hand blender reviews on Amazon before giving up and ordering nothing can tell you.

While we wait for the experts and authorities to fine-tune their benevolent social nudges, how can we take advantage of behavioral economics for our own health?

Penalties Work Better Than Rewards

People hate losing money. Future rewards are just that: in the future. They’re abstractions. Forking over money, placing your own hard-earned cash in limbo while you succeed or fail is very real. You had money, then it went away. That’s happening in the present moment, and you feel it—rather poignantly. As behavioral economics pioneers Kahneman and Tversky said in 1979, “losses loom larger than gains.”

Stickk was created by a behavioral economist who knew the power of loss aversion. With StickK, users interested in accomplishing a goal formally make a commitment to reach that goal by a certain date and put some of their own money on the line to be forfeited if the commitment is not fulfilled. You set the goal, lay out the stakes of your commitment (how much money, if any, will you put on the line, and where will the money go if you fail?), choose a “referee” to track your progress, keep you honest and report your progress to StickK, and choose other StickK users as supporters to cheer you on. Choose a goal template or create your own from scratch. Goals can be ongoing commitments requiring constant check-ins, or one-time things where you either succeed or fail.

Another option is Pavlok, a device created by the guy who paid a woman off Craigslist to slap him across the face each time he stopped focusing on his work. You strap the Pavlok onto your wrist—it looks a lot like a FitBit—and decide on a bad habit you’d like to break or a good one you’d like to establish. Each time you fail to hold your side of the bargain, the Pavlok zaps you with a mild but uncomfortable electric shock. (This option might not be for everyone, but I’d love to hear from those who do try it.)

Don’t Shop When You’re Hungry

Shopping for anything when hungry is a bad idea. Studies show that hunger increases the amount we spend, even if we’re shopping for something totally unrelated to food. When you’re hungry, you desire more of everything.

Hungry grocery shoppers make worse choices, too, choosing unhealthier, higher-calorie junk food over healthier, lower-calorie real food.

To this, I’d also add the tangentially related “Don’t go out to eat at an expensive sushi restaurant if you’re starving.” There’s no quicker way to run up a bill.

If you must go shopping while hungry, prepare a list beforehand. That list will be your life vest of rationality in the stormy, boiling sea of gurgling stomach juices drifting you toward the snack aisle.

Sink Your Costs in Health

You may have heard of the “sunk cost fallacy”—which describes how people feel compelled to stick with something they’ve already paid for, even if it’s horrible, just to “get their money’s worth.” It usually refers to a negative, harmful behavior.

Sometimes the sunk cost mentality is helpful, though. Wasting 3 hours of your life on an awful movie just bcause you paid $12 is bad. Going to the gym three times a week for a full year because you paid $1000 for the year membership up front is good. Both are sunk costs, but one has a good result. Other examples of positive sunk costs include personal training sessions, massage sessions, expensive exercise equipment (barbells, stationary bikes, kettlebells, etc).

Price matters here. The sunk cost effect will be greater the higher your initial investment. It’s harder to ignore a $1000-a-year membership at the local powerlifting gym than it is to ignore the Planet Fitness package you got for less than $100.

Surround Yourself with People Making the Choices You Want to Make

According to a 2013 study, people tend to converge to the lowest common denominator. Office workers were all given access to treadmill desks, then followed for six months. When people got regular updates about everyone else’s treadmill usage, they used them less, regressed to the lowest common denominator. When people didn’t know how often the others were using the treadmills, usage went up.

Since social media and basic physical proximity make it nearly impossible ot avoid knowing what everyone else is doing, your best bet is to surround yourself with people doing awesome, healthy things on a regular basis. Follow Facebook and Instagram friends with healthy habits. Train at a gym where the other people’s feats inspire you. Make sure the lowest common denominator is higher than most.

Order Groceries

When you’re at the grocery store, even a healthy one like Whole Foods, they’re tugging on your emotions and base desires at every turn. I don’t fault them for it. It’s how merchandising works. Just know that’s what you’re walking into, unless you decide not to walk into the store at all.

These days, that’s actually possible. You can order groceries from a place like Thrive (my favorite) or Instacart. Instead of idly browsing through the entire store’s inventory, where you might run into something junky, you search for the exact categories you want, and then you browse. If you don’t want the gluten-free almond flour macaroons you can’t ever walk past, you simply don’t search for them.

Don’t Just Imagine the Worst Possible Scenario—Feel It

In an effort to dissuade cigarette usage, many countries have established laws requiring the use of graphic warning labels that depict potential consequences of long-term smoking, in lurid detail. Does the sight of a cancerous orifice, tracheotomy hole, or dead body make people more likely to try quitting? It appears so. Graphic warning labels correlate with both more attempts to quit and reduced rates of smoking. 

This can work for everyday health practices, too. Immerse yourself in graphic, visceral evidence of the worst thing than can happen to you if you don’t lose weight/exercise/do what you need to do.

Prediabetic? Rev up the images of diabetic foot amputations and festering sores.

Stiff and inactive? Look up knee replacements, watch arthroscopic surgery videos.

Make Healthy Food and Exercise the Default

We stick with the default option more often than not. It’s harder to opt-out than opt-in. Make it so that you have to opt-out of eating right and exercising.

Every Sunday, do meal prep for the rest of the week. Cook up a big batch of something. That way, if you want something unhealthy, you have to “opt-out” of eating the healthy food you already have prepared and ready to go. This also works on smaller scales, such as keeping hard-boiled eggs on hand or chopping veggies and prepping salad makings days in advance.

A few ideas for making exercise and movement the default position:

Start active commuting to work.

Eliminate your office chair. Force yourself to stand (or walk).

Keep a kettlebell (or barbell, or dumbbell, or weight vest, or any piece of equipment) right outside your bedroom door. Whenever you wake up, there it is waiting for you.

Behavioral economics is powerful and, in my opinion, quite accurate. Most of us “use” it every day without even realizing it. How else can you leverage behavioral economics to make it easier to eat, move, and live Primally?

Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care.

[fishermariawo]

How Should We Harness Behavioral Economics for Better Health?

As much as humans think they’re objective beings whose every decision emerges from cold logical calculation, we’re just irrational, emotional animals. That’s why stories and anecdotes are more convincing than facts, why people fear losing money twice as much as they enjoy making it, and why the guy making $100k per year feels poor if his neighbors make twice that. This kind of phenomenon is best explained by behavioral economics, a method of economic inquiry that uses psychological, emotional, cognitive, and social factors to explain why we make the often-irrational financial choices we do. And it has some interesting applications for health….

In a recent piece in the NY Times, a doctor discussed how health care professionals are beginning to leverage behavioral economics to make their patients healthier. He begins with a few examples of behavioral economics in action.

People are more likely to choose an option if it’s the default position. In one study, countries where people had to opt-out of organ donation had organ donor rates of over 90%, compared to donor rates of 4 to 27% in places where people had to opt-in.

People are more likely to make a decision when given fewer options. Too many options make decision-making harder, as anyone who’s spent two hours reading hand blender reviews on Amazon before giving up and ordering nothing can tell you.

While we wait for the experts and authorities to fine-tune their benevolent social nudges, how can we take advantage of behavioral economics for our own health?

Penalties Work Better Than Rewards

People hate losing money. Future rewards are just that: in the future. They’re abstractions. Forking over money, placing your own hard-earned cash in limbo while you succeed or fail is very real. You had money, then it went away. That’s happening in the present moment, and you feel it—rather poignantly. As behavioral economics pioneers Kahneman and Tversky said in 1979, “losses loom larger than gains.”

Stickk was created by a behavioral economist who knew the power of loss aversion. With StickK, users interested in accomplishing a goal formally make a commitment to reach that goal by a certain date and put some of their own money on the line to be forfeited if the commitment is not fulfilled. You set the goal, lay out the stakes of your commitment (how much money, if any, will you put on the line, and where will the money go if you fail?), choose a “referee” to track your progress, keep you honest and report your progress to StickK, and choose other StickK users as supporters to cheer you on. Choose a goal template or create your own from scratch. Goals can be ongoing commitments requiring constant check-ins, or one-time things where you either succeed or fail.

Another option is Pavlok, a device created by the guy who paid a woman off Craigslist to slap him across the face each time he stopped focusing on his work. You strap the Pavlok onto your wrist—it looks a lot like a FitBit—and decide on a bad habit you’d like to break or a good one you’d like to establish. Each time you fail to hold your side of the bargain, the Pavlok zaps you with a mild but uncomfortable electric shock. (This option might not be for everyone, but I’d love to hear from those who do try it.)

Don’t Shop When You’re Hungry

Shopping for anything when hungry is a bad idea. Studies show that hunger increases the amount we spend, even if we’re shopping for something totally unrelated to food. When you’re hungry, you desire more of everything.

Hungry grocery shoppers make worse choices, too, choosing unhealthier, higher-calorie junk food over healthier, lower-calorie real food.

To this, I’d also add the tangentially related “Don’t go out to eat at an expensive sushi restaurant if you’re starving.” There’s no quicker way to run up a bill.

If you must go shopping while hungry, prepare a list beforehand. That list will be your life vest of rationality in the stormy, boiling sea of gurgling stomach juices drifting you toward the snack aisle.

Sink Your Costs in Health

You may have heard of the “sunk cost fallacy”—which describes how people feel compelled to stick with something they’ve already paid for, even if it’s horrible, just to “get their money’s worth.” It usually refers to a negative, harmful behavior.

Sometimes the sunk cost mentality is helpful, though. Wasting 3 hours of your life on an awful movie just bcause you paid $12 is bad. Going to the gym three times a week for a full year because you paid $1000 for the year membership up front is good. Both are sunk costs, but one has a good result. Other examples of positive sunk costs include personal training sessions, massage sessions, expensive exercise equipment (barbells, stationary bikes, kettlebells, etc).

Price matters here. The sunk cost effect will be greater the higher your initial investment. It’s harder to ignore a $1000-a-year membership at the local powerlifting gym than it is to ignore the Planet Fitness package you got for less than $100.

Surround Yourself with People Making the Choices You Want to Make

According to a 2013 study, people tend to converge to the lowest common denominator. Office workers were all given access to treadmill desks, then followed for six months. When people got regular updates about everyone else’s treadmill usage, they used them less, regressed to the lowest common denominator. When people didn’t know how often the others were using the treadmills, usage went up.

Since social media and basic physical proximity make it nearly impossible ot avoid knowing what everyone else is doing, your best bet is to surround yourself with people doing awesome, healthy things on a regular basis. Follow Facebook and Instagram friends with healthy habits. Train at a gym where the other people’s feats inspire you. Make sure the lowest common denominator is higher than most.

Order Groceries

When you’re at the grocery store, even a healthy one like Whole Foods, they’re tugging on your emotions and base desires at every turn. I don’t fault them for it. It’s how merchandising works. Just know that’s what you’re walking into, unless you decide not to walk into the store at all.

These days, that’s actually possible. You can order groceries from a place like Thrive (my favorite) or Instacart. Instead of idly browsing through the entire store’s inventory, where you might run into something junky, you search for the exact categories you want, and then you browse. If you don’t want the gluten-free almond flour macaroons you can’t ever walk past, you simply don’t search for them.

Don’t Just Imagine the Worst Possible Scenario—Feel It

In an effort to dissuade cigarette usage, many countries have established laws requiring the use of graphic warning labels that depict potential consequences of long-term smoking, in lurid detail. Does the sight of a cancerous orifice, tracheotomy hole, or dead body make people more likely to try quitting? It appears so. Graphic warning labels correlate with both more attempts to quit and reduced rates of smoking. 

This can work for everyday health practices, too. Immerse yourself in graphic, visceral evidence of the worst thing than can happen to you if you don’t lose weight/exercise/do what you need to do.

Prediabetic? Rev up the images of diabetic foot amputations and festering sores.

Stiff and inactive? Look up knee replacements, watch arthroscopic surgery videos.

Make Healthy Food and Exercise the Default

We stick with the default option more often than not. It’s harder to opt-out than opt-in. Make it so that you have to opt-out of eating right and exercising.

Every Sunday, do meal prep for the rest of the week. Cook up a big batch of something. That way, if you want something unhealthy, you have to “opt-out” of eating the healthy food you already have prepared and ready to go. This also works on smaller scales, such as keeping hard-boiled eggs on hand or chopping veggies and prepping salad makings days in advance.

A few ideas for making exercise and movement the default position:

Start active commuting to work.

Eliminate your office chair. Force yourself to stand (or walk).

Keep a kettlebell (or barbell, or dumbbell, or weight vest, or any piece of equipment) right outside your bedroom door. Whenever you wake up, there it is waiting for you.

Behavioral economics is powerful and, in my opinion, quite accurate. Most of us “use” it every day without even realizing it. How else can you leverage behavioral economics to make it easier to eat, move, and live Primally?

Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care.

[newssplashy]

There's tons of information available online and programs designed by professionals to help you to get in shape, but it can be worth it to take a more personalized approach.

If you want to get fit but you don't know how, that's no cause for shame or despair.

No one is an expert in every field - so instead of puttering aimlessly around the gym, you should turn to someone whose sole focus is helping people to transform into their best selves.

There's tons of information available online and programs designed by professionals to help you to get in shape, but it can be worth it to take a more personalized approach.

If you can afford it, hiring a personal trainer is an excellent option, particularly if you struggle with keeping yourself motivated.

You’re less likely to bail on your workout when someone (or something - in this case, your wallet) holds you accountable, and a trainer can give you that extra push out the door when you're trying to decide whether or not to do your morning workout.

But how can you find a good trainer? And if you've already hired someone to design your training plan, how can you be sure you’re working with the right one? Even if a trainer has credentials up the wazoo, it doesn’t necessarily mean he or she is the best option for you and your goals.

When it comes down to it, you’re putting in the time, money, and effort for your new and improved body, so you better make it worth your while. Here are eight things you need to keep in mind before hiring a personal trainer.

Outline your goals

 The first step in your newly-focused fitness journey should be establishing exactly what you're trying to accomplish. Do you have definite targets for your training, or do you simply have a nebulous aim to "get fit"?

Having broad goals is OK, but you shouldn't make a major financial and personal decision like hiring a coach if you don't have a few well-defined objectives for your training plan. Start with something simple, like a target body weight or race time, or even a goal as basic as working up to the ability to perform 10 pullups. Make sure the objectives are things you truly care about.

The best trainers listen to what the client is trying to accomplish.

Once you start talking to potential candidates, you can streamline your goals and even come up with new ones with their help and expertise. But if you start without any idea of what you're trying to accomplish, you'll be more likely to fall in with a trainer who won't push you to your full potential. 

Take your budget into account

As with most things in life, a personal trainer will cost you. Prices may vary based on geographic location, gym affiliation (some trainers are affiliated with a gym, while others have an independent practice), and more. But a trainer can have a hefty price tag, especially if the trainer has higher education or a large Instagram following.

“I'd say a normal high quality experience trainer can charge between $125 and $200 per session. There are certainly those who can command much higher fees, but those are based on demand and a long track record of proven results,” Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS, former Head Physical Therapist/Strength Coach with the New York Mets and Men’s Health advisor, told MensHealth.com.

Before burning a hole in your wallet, decide the absolute top dollar amount you can afford or are willing to pay. Once you find a potential trainer, discuss the possibility of a discount. Perhaps there’s a deal for getting a package and paying up front, or maybe you can even split the session and cost with a friend.

Don't be fooled by a big name (or a big follower count)

 In the age of celebrity or Instagram-famous personal trainers, it's important to know that a big name doesn't tell you a whole lot. While some high-profile trainers may have credentials, others might not.

“Celebrity trainers aren't necessarily good trainers. They could just be in the right area at the right time,”said Cavaliere.

Keep in mind that celebrity trainers are only worth the investment if they have safely generated results for their clients and are still being hired by other celebrities. So if someone lists a celebrity client on their website, that doesn't necessarily mean much by itself.

Similarly, a high follower count on social media doesn't guarantee that they actually know what they're doing with clients. They might just be a pretty face or a flashy set of abs - selfies and brand sponsorships are not personal training credentials.

Ask them about their credentials

On that note: Technically, literally anyone can advertise themselves as a personal trainer. That’s why it’s important to find someone with real credentials - which come in the form of letters at the end of their name.

You're forgiven if those just look like alphabet soup to you now, but you need to learn up before making hiring someone.

“If you don't know what the letters mean, ask... and then look it up,”Cavaliere advised. “If they come from graduate degrees in related health/science fields from accredited universities, even better.”

So how do you know you’re in good hands? You’ll want to be sure your trainer attended an organization that is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), which is nationally recognized as being a reliable predictor of sports medicine and exercise knowledge. “The gold standard in the industry is the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). The NSCA-CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) or NSCA-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer) certifications are the two to look for,” said Cavaliere.

Other certifications worth having: NASM-CPT (National American Sports Medicine) ACSM-CPT (American College of Sports Medicine), or ACE-CPT (American Council on Exercise) all indicate some level of credibility.

Identify their area of expertise

Every personal trainer has their own focus. Some trainers work with those struggling with joint pain, while others might work solely with elderly clients building bone density and improving balance. It’s important to find a program that works best for you. If a trainer's programming is built around HIIT workouts that leave you drenched in sweat and out of breath, that type of warrior-style mentality won’t cut it if you love doing yoga, or if you struggle with chronic knee pain.

“There is definitely more than one way to program workouts for fat loss, muscle growth, etc. So find the one that meshes best with your style and go with that. There’s nothing worse than hating everything you're doing in a workout,” according to Cavaliere.

If you’re still unsure, ask the trainer for what they typically include in a program and ask about their other clientele. If your trainer works mostly with bodybuilders, you’ll know their style is geared towards building bigger muscles and strength. So if you’re looking to work on leaning out (rather than bulking up), maybe you should hire someone else.

See if their personality is compatible with yours

“Trainers can differ in their method of motivation (some are more prone to screaming, while others can be steely-eyed but encouraging), or their methods of getting the job done,” Cavaliere said.

If the trainer seems rigid and uncompromising, and you’re more of a laid-back type, it’s probably not going to be a good fit. If your personality doesn’t mesh with that of your trainer, that’s a problem.

Conversely, it’s also a problem if you get along too well. If you’re too busy chatting during workouts to get in another set of deadlifts, it’s going to interfere with the rate of your progress. While you want a trainer who is encouraging and fun to be around (you don’t want to spend all that time with a drill-sergeant-type you can’t stand, right?), you need to make sure you’re still being pushed to your limits and are achieving your goals.

Ask them questions - but listen to what questions they ask you

 Make sure your trainer checks in with you before trying to put you on a program. That means asking questions about your diet and previous fitness routine beyond your current weight. 

The trainer should also ask you if you are on any medications, as some, like certain asthma medications, can influence your heart rate. If you’re asked to do 10 burpees in 20 seconds, you could be causing undue strain on your heart, so this is really important for them to know.

A good trainer will also inquire about your history of injuries (recent or chronic). “I'd evaluate every major joint (ankles, knees, hips, lower back, thoracic spine, shoulders, elbows, wrists) to see if I could uncover reasons for the injury or potential weak links in the kinetic chain that will cause future breakdown,” Cavaliere explained.

“I'd also ask about any current training regimens. What have they been doing most recently and at what consistency level?" he said. This can help to identify a client's goals (which we've already established is a major factor in picking a trainer) and motivation level.

Ask yourself if you're making progress

If you’ve been training for a while but you’re not seeing tangible results, it’s OK to move on and find someone new - especially if you wind up with a bad trainer. Sometimes it’s just not the right match, but it might take a few months to see that. Give it a good four to six weeks, Cavaliere advised, at which point you should start seeing some definite results.

"The best trainers listen to what the client is trying to accomplish and provide them with the shortest, most direct path for getting there,” Cavaliere said. “Great trainers do not create clients that are dependent on them for their fitness, but rather choose to use them simply because they feel they get more out of them than they can do on their own.”

If your trainer doesn’t check those boxes for you, it’s OK to kick them to the curb.

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