MegsFitness on Nerd Fitness – Battle Logs!

I’ve blogged in the past about how much happier and more content I feel when I am following the core strengths of health and wellness – including eating well, sleeping well, exercising, and making time for personal goals.  So, it stands to reason that now, more than ever, I need to get back into the patterns of healthy eating, getting enough (and higher quality) rest, exercising, and making time for personal goals. 

This blog has become more of a personal journal for me, which will definitely incorporate health and wellness, but it’s always been about more than that.  For me, it’s been about recognizing the fact that my journey — whether it’s to weight loss, muscle gain, social changes, or family life — is going to be completely different from someone else’s journey, even if we share many of the same characteristics.  To that end, I still have every intention of maintaining this blog and getting back into writing about things that are fun, interesting, or relative to my personal narrative.  

My day-to-day fitness narrative is going to be captured at Nerd Fitness.  It’s a community of fitness-minded individuals and I really feel like that’s the sort of encouragement I could use at the moment.  What that means for the MegsFitness blog is that I’ll be cross-posting my weekly summaries here, so that at least part of this journal can resonate with the “-Fitness” part of the name 😀

I’m ready to get back to good.  I’m ready to lose weight, gain muscle, find my confidence, and conquer the world.  If you’re interested in joining The Rebellion, my “battle log” is found here: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/52946-amis-last-first-post/

[Begin Crosspost]:

Name: Aminarra, aka “MegsFitness”

Occupation: Corporate Fleet Management Resolution

Previous Fitness Experience: 2 years on SparkPeople, 3 years with Weight Loss Warriors, 3 attempts at Weight Watchers, 1 attempt at Herbalife; 4 years high school strength training, 1 obstacle 5k, 10+ regular 5k Races, greatest weight loss 42lbs.

Current Level of Fitness: Sedentary.  It’s been 2 years since I’ve worked out consistently due to a severe back injury after the Warrior Dash.

“End Game” Goal: Working out 4+x/week, Settling at a healthy weight, ideally ~180, but more importantly having functional strength and physical health.

Short-term Goal: Begin working out 1-3x/week, at a beginner level to become re-acclimated to the fitness world. Begin reintegrating Paleo Lifestyle into eating plan  

Plan of Action:  Use Nerd Fitness to launch new fitness goals; integrate fitness guild with gamer guild for inspiration.  Generate weekly goals in the areas of nutrition, exercise, and personal.  Update status on goals at least weekly.

Outside of NF: 
https://megsfitness.wordpress.com/
http://www.vexxgaming.com/

Live-Blogging while reading a blog: Gretchen Powell’s “Body Love vs. The Desire to be Thin”

As many of you might know, Gretchen Powell is one of my favorite bloggers. She’s down to earth, approachable, totally non-judgmental, and a great writer as well (true story: her first book was published last year and her next one is upcoming).  She writes about a variety of subjects, much like this blog, but she’s getting back to the basics about weight loss, gain, loss, and what she wants to gain.  I thought I’d try something different this time around and rather than leaving my commentary in a bubble where only a select few can see it, I wanted to “live blog” my reaction to her blog.  With the author’s permission, I present to you a reaction story to “Body Love vs. The Desire to be Thin.”

I’m back!

I had a great time in the wild blue yonder (aka Canada).  The Mister and I drove up there on Thursday and arrived just in time for pizza.  We were greeted in the driveway by Auntie Janet… It was just too funny the way she was just sitting there so I rolled down the window, shouted a warning “Flattering photo time!” and snapped the pic:

The shame is that when we were just over 120 miles from our destination, we realized that we completely forgot all of the party decorations for the Canada reception. D’oh!

 

On Friday, we ran around spending time and money replacing the forgotten items and picking up the rest of the supplies.  We were so spend-happy, in fact, that my bank got all uppity on my behalf and locked down my credit card right as we were checking out at the liquor store.  Yeah, that $220 bill is just gonna have to wait until I call my bank and verify a list the length of my arm to prove that I am who I say I am.

“Can I tell you about our products and promotions that might help you?”
“No, I’d like to get back to buying the liquor for our WEDDING RECEPTION! kthx.”

The fun thing about having a 2nd party is that you can still be a bridezilla after the wedding 😉  Future brides make note.  Hehe..

Friday was also the day that the tents, tables, chairs, and portable washrooms were delivered.  Whee!! The shirtless dude seriously needs someone to show him how to swing a sledge, though.  He was reducing all of the momentum just before he made contact with the spike–probably because he was afraid of hitting himself.  Anyway, he did all the work with his own body instead of letting the hammer do the job.  Silly kid. *shakes head*

Once the tent was up, we set to work doing all of the decorating.  Omigosh, hahaha!  Jeff and I had the hardest time getting the paper poofs and the lanterns to stay on the fishing line.  He kept saying “This idea is good on paper..but..it’s just not working.”  We must’ve used a quarter roll of tape trying to get the stupid things to stay put.

It eventually worked out, though.

The rest of the night, we hung out and just kept crossing our fingers that there wouldn’t be rain.  Don’t rain, don’t rain, don’t rain… What we didn’t count on, though, was Mother Nature’s counter-offer: WIND!  AUGH!  We had finally gotten the decorations to stay put, but when we went out on Saturday, the wind had made shambles of our efforts, lol.  We decided it just wasn’t meant to be “perfect” but that it would be good enough the way it was.  No one would even know we didn’t mean for it to be the way it was =P Pssh.

It was a ton of fun to just hang out with extended family and friends from Jeff’s side of the family.  We couldn’t have asked for a better day.  I think one of the funnest details was the candy buffet that our friends Anne and Errol gifted to us:

It was Mario-Themed and everything!

We couldn’t believe it.  The guests all loved it, too!  If you’re in the Winnipeg area, I highly suggest that you check out http://www.landonssweets.com

On Sunday, we took a (much-needed) day of rest.  I think I was still in and out of sleep until at least 3pm @_@;

Today we made the long trek home and we’re happy to be here 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Too big for the space; too cute not to use

Too big for the space

too cute not to use

Our friends, Anne and Errol, were inundated with crock pots at their wedding.  Well, Jeff and I were inundated with party platters and serving ware.  We love ’em but Jeff and I are quickly realizing we don’t host enough parties nor have enough cupboard space (currently) for all that we got.  Well, this one was super cute and I wanted to put it it use so I set it up tonight as a make-up/beauty stand in our “guest” (read: main) bathroom.  It’s entirely too large for the space (it overhangs the sink by about an inch!) but I love how it neatly organizes my things.  

When we move, the bathroom counter will be even smaller, which bums me out, but I also have a plan to keep my dresser cleaner* so hopefully this can live on my dresser in the new place.

*My mom taught me not to wash clothes until they’re dirty, so, since I work in an office environment, I’ll wear clothes 2-3x before I wash them but I won’t put them back in the closet.  I fold them** and lay them neatly** on my dresser.

**They get tossed however they land and I just hope they don’t wrinkle.

The plan for the new place is to hang towel racks or jacket hooks on the wall near the dressers so that I can hang the clothes up without hanging them in the closet.  I’m *really* hopeful this plan works out so that our bedroom can be tidy 🙂

Do you have any creative cleaning/organizing tips? Feel free to share in the comments below.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

For the crust:
2 cups flour (not packed)
1/2 cup oil (canola or vegetable oil)
1/4 cup milk

Mix flour and oil together with a fork, then add milk and mix. Dough should hold its shape.  Roll half out between two sheets of wax paper, this forms the bottom crust. Carefully remove the top sheet of wax paper (can use a butter knife to coax it). Put your pie tin on top of the crust then slip your hand under the bottom sheet of wax paper and turn the whole thing over. Now you can coax the wax paper off the top and the crust should be in the tin.

For the filling:
2 cups strawberries cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups rhubarb cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups sugar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss/mix together, then pour into the prepared crust.  Add 3-4 rounded tablespoons sprinkled on top, to absorb some of the juice as it bakes.

Follow the directions above to roll out the second crust. This time, though, take of the top later of wax paper, then carefully flip/place the crust over the pie. Remove the last bit of wax paper, then press the edges of the crusts together.

Cut slits for vents, then bake at 350°F for about an hour.

Soup-y pie is still pie…

Are you bored?

 

AH! I still sort of have ‘wedding brain.’  I go home at night and still feel like we should be planning a wedding.  If you’re interested in mini updates and food photos then you can subscribe to follow me at http://megsfitnessphototracker.wordpress.com.  I upload pics of my daily eats and lately I’ve been updating on the day’s goings on too.  I still intend to update here, but I feel like I owe you better content and right now I just don’t have it.  You deserve better!! So, if you’d like to wait for better, I’ll have it soonish.  If you’d like to settle for good-enough, check out my alt blog where I just update from my phone and call it good.

From MegsFitnessPhotoTracker: “I found a sammich in my fridge thus morning and decided it was breakfast. Nom nom nom.. Oh! And my plan of eating when I’m hungry and stopping when I’m full works.. I weighed in at 217 this morning. I’m pretty sure it was a fluke.”

I’m a Mrs!

 

Jeff and I got married last weekend!! Today was my first day back at work and it was really really weird to get back into the routine while having people refer to me as “Mrs. [Jeff’s last name]”  That is going to take some getting used to!!

The week really started last Tuesday when my best friend, Corine, came to town from Michigan.  She was the first to arrive and Jeff actually brought her to work so I could get hugs as soon as possible 🙂

Unfortunately, she was plagued with allergies and feeling like crud the first few days, so things were pretty low key.  We spent a lot of time hanging out, playing games, watching Netflix, and working on wedding favors.  That’s one of the great things about Corine – we can just hang.  We don’t need to really be DOING anything to have a good time.

The rehearsal dinner was held at Grandma’s house and it was a really just.. super wet weekend.  It was raining off and on a majority of the time which was a real bummer.  We easily fit into my grandma’s house, though, so it was alright.  I spent the night chatting with our officiant and visiting with my aunt and my niece.  Jeff spent time with the guys and mingled with everyone else who was there.

We had the best groomsmen gifts 🙂  Jeff found these awesome pocket watches that have all of the mechanics exposed from both sides when you open them up.  He had the front engraved with each guy’s name and he had the back engraved with something personal for each guy.

For the ladies, I bought earrings that I thought reflected each woman’s taste.  I got engraved necklaces for my friends that had a quote about the value of friendship, and for my sister, I got her something more personal.  It turned pretty entertaining on the day of the wedding because the necklaces were in the shape of hearts, except, Stephanie’s kept turning upside down.  “Well, sometimes my heart is a butt.”  Hahaha.. Love her.

Saturday was a day of primping and prepping for the wedding.  Legs were shaved, eyebrows waxed, nails manicured, and feet pedicured.  My MOH/Sister was so awesome–she had the salon open a little early and reserved all the chairs for our wedding party.  Here, my niece is in the foreground getting her nails all done up. Steph is beside her in blue, then in the back row (getting pedicures) are Gloria, Mom, Me, Lori, Bridget (My sister), and Grandma.  After the salon treatment, mom and Bridget went to the tasting for her own wedding (coming up in September) and the rest of us met up with the guys for a movie.

If you haven’t seen Star Trek: Into Darkness, then you’re definitely missing out.  I had a few *wolf whistle* moments during that movie, especially for Benedict Cumberbatch 😉

Not pictured: My sister, Bridget, and Jeff’s brother, Rob

Saturday night was when the bachelor/ette parties were hosted.  I hear Jeff had a grand old time gallivanting from the casino, to the strip club, to the hotel.  The guys did a great job showing him a good time, lol… I heard rumors of gummy-boobs stuck all over the hotel to a blow-up doll stuck in his bed.  Hahaha…

Us ladies were more refined… we had a Pure Romance party at the apartment and watched Pitch Perfect.

Sunday was the big day, but I want to wait to do a recap of that until I have more photos 🙂 Be patient!! It’ll be worth it.

 

 

Crunch Time: (not abs)

So, we’re really heading into “crunch time” for the wedding and things are heating up at work, too.  There are 7 weeks left until the wedding and a lot of loose ends are getting wrapped up.  Jeff’s parents came to visit over the weekend recently and we had a wedding shower (hosted by my lovely sister and my equally awesome Grandma) to celebrate.

There are lots of pics I WISH I could’ve taken, but I did not have my camera and the available photos are mostly focused on myself and Jeff.  We did get a few great shots, though, thanks for my friend and bridesmaid Gloria, and Jeff’s Mom Sarah:

 

We got our invitations mailed out weeks ago and I think people have had a chance to appreciate their beauty before we posted them online… check ’em out:

 

The damask pattern was really pretty and doing the printing in black ink really helped us save on costs.  It’s a delight to check the mail these days in the hopes of receiving another RSVP.

We’re using Google Drive to manage our guest list, vendors, gifts, and everything.  It’s been really handy to have everything in one spot online–I was able to make a new tab and move folks over to that tab and share it with my sister so that she could get the invites out for the shower.

I just took a look at the spreadsheet and realized that so far we’ve got

125 unknown
92 accepted
32 declined

If you’re planning a big event and coordinating with people that may not be local, I highly suggest using a data system such as Google Drive to keep it organized.  My sister liked the idea so much that she has her guest list imported now, too.  Since she moved out of state, this will be a great way for us to keep in touch and coordinate about all the goings-on.

I’ve also been wrapping up a lot of the other details for the wedding, like crafting these adorable bookmarks and getting the vendors all squared away as far as a payment plan goes:

 

I had one of my last dress fittings before the wedding on Friday and it’s going to be pretty close.  I need to drop at LEAST five pounds before the wedding, more if at all humanly possible.  That means any and all stress eating needs to go out the window.

Maybe I’ll de-stress by gaming instead, now that I’ve got my rig back up and running… If you play GW2, look me up 🙂 I’m in JQ and my sn is Aminarra Westin.

Things to do with Over-ripe Bananas…

So, things have been absolutely crazy lately.  So, crazy, in fact, that I somehow managed to forget to eat my bananas =P Haha! Usually I just make smoothies or banana bread when the naners get over-ripe, but as fate would have it, my buddy Christy posted about this super easy way to use over-ripe bananas: 

 

We’ve also been kind of stressed out with wedding planning lately (76 days to go), especially now that we know what we need to have as far as finances are concerned.  Our solution is just to add Amaretto to everything, haha!  I did end up making banana bread this weekend and I spiked it with amaretto… we’ve been putting amaretto in pancakes and coffee lately so I figured we could put it into banana bread, too.  We usually put vanilla into our banana bread, with some apple pie spice, so I figured amaretto would be pretty delicious in it, too. It was. Nom.