Let's Play A Game.

It's going to be a drinking game. Shocking.

Anyway, the game is going to revolve around the show Extreme Weight Loss. So what you need is access to watch the show, an alcoholic beverage, and an emotional friend who cries easily.

Rules (they are pretty easy and straightforward):
1. Turn on Extreme Weight Loss.
2. Take a drink every time the emotional friend starts to tear up and/or cry over a touching moment in the show.

Yeah, that is pretty much it. And because I am such a sap, if you play this game with me you will get drunk pretty fast.
I seriously tear up or cry at so many moments in that damn show. Props to you ABC (and Chris Powell). Props to you.

Why I Love Fitness

My relationship with the gym is a very love hate kind of thing. All throughout my life I hated, HATED, working out. It seemed like a hassle. Who the hell wants to work up a sweat, have a racing heart, and be out of breath? Nowadays the answer is me. But back then I thought of fitness as stupid and unnecessary.

Then fast forward to October 31st, 2011. The day that I decided it was time to get my ass in gear. The day that I got my gym membership. The day that changed my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined. 

I originally started working out to lose weight. Because I had to. I was tired of being fat, and I knew that fitness was going to get me to where I wanted to be. Food plays a big role as well, but I have done plenty of bitching about food on this blog, today is about fitness. 

So when I started, the only thing that was motivating my work outs was getting the fat to melt off. Which it did not do. My weight loss journey has been very slowwwww. Which is okay because I think it means that the weight will stay off.

Anyway, in the beginning I still did not like working out. It wasn't until I found some fitness classes with awesome instructors that I kinda started to like fitness. And still, I only moderately liked these classes. I would still have preferred to be sitting on my couch. These classes were just more fun than the elliptical so I continued to go. 

Then something started to happen. My endurance started to go up. The classes that once were so challenging were becoming doable. I could physically feel myself getting stronger. And I liked it. I started craving these classes. I wanted to attend them. And with every class I was becoming more and more inspired by the instructors that were pushing me past my limits. 

When I started working out I could only complete 8 push-ups, on my knees. I could only do 1 on my toes. And even that 1 push-up was a challenge. 

I have an instructor who insists that the class does push-ups on toes. She truly believes that everyone is capable. I used to think that she was full of shit. But I tried and tried to do push-ups on my toes and not my knees. 

Then one day I was working out on my own, and I was able to bust out 10 push-ups on my toes. And that is the moment when I realized that I loved fitness. That was the moment that I was finally inspired with myself. Yes, the instructor is the only reason that I even tried to do push-ups on my toes, but I am the one that did them. I am the one who built up my strength. I am the one who can now do tons of push-ups on my toes and not even give it a second thought.

That is why I love fitness. Because with every passing day, my body is changing. I have not lost a pound in nearly 8 months. Not one. But I continue to work out because I love it. Because I am constantly challenging myself. I am constantly in competition with myself. And even though my weight is currently in a plateau, I know my body is changing.

Now don't get me wrong, there are some days when I would rather lick a toilet than go to the gym. Seriously.

Some days I am not in the mind set for the gym, but I go anyway. And every once in awhile, if I am lucky, something completely amazing happens. I start my work out and suddenly I stop looking at the clock. I lose track of time, and I am in my own world. I am unaware of the people that are around me, and I am captivated by my work out. I am completely connected to every single set, and rep that I am doing.

Then suddenly 2 hours have passed and I leave the gym feeling strong, proud, and happy. This is why I love fitness. I have found nothing else in this entire world that makes me feel this way. That makes me feel confident, and humble at the same time. That makes me feel like I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. That is why I love fitness.

Not only has fitness changed my body, it has changed my mind. In the last year I have become much more optimistic. I feel happy more often, and I don't feel the need to compare myself to others. This is my journey. My life. My work out. And I am completely thankful that I have found such a love for fitness!

Healthy Cookies!

If you read the title, you might be thinking to yourself: "ummm cookies are not healthy." But these are!

Recently I was catching up on Crafty Healthy Mommy's blog, and I found a recipe for healthy banana oatmeal cookies. Only two ingredients are required, ripe bananas, and oatmeal. Seriously, that's it.

I was so intrigued that I had to try it. Luckily bananas, and oatmeal are a pretty standard staple in my diet, so I had both items in my pantry. The recipe calls for 2 bananas, and 1 cup of oatmeal. Could it really get any easier?

For my first try I split the batter in half and tried adding different things. For one half all I added was some vanilla, and cinnamon. For the other half I added some chocolate pb2, and cinnamon. Then I spread the mixture on my cookie sheet, and set it in the oven (350 degrees) for like 10 minutes.

I have found that a full batch (1 cup oatmeal, 2 bananas) makes around 16 cookies. You could make them bigger or smaller depending on your preference. And because these cookies do not rise at all, make sure you plop them on the baking sheet in the exact size you want.

The verdict: I really loved the texture, I felt like I was eating a cookie. However I thought they tasted a little bland. But I am thinking that's because I didn't use a ripe enough banana.

I have since made a ton of more of these, trying different ingredients. The riper the banana, the better. Also I like to add a bunch of cinnamon and a small sprinkle of truvia. I also think coconut would be a great addition. And if you don't care about keeping them too healthy, chocolate or butterscotch chips would be heavenly.

I made like 3 batches of these, and brought them with me for my 4th of July weekend. It was the perfect thing to bring. I could eat them for breakfast, a drunken snack, or a dessert. And they actually lasted at least 5 days without getting spoiled. I put some in the fridge, but I actually prefer when they are not cold. And cold or not they did not spoil!

I am sure I will be trying out more batches with different add-ins, and when I find the perfect combination I will be sure to share!

Healthy-ish Weekend

Just like everyone and their uncle, this past weekend I spent the 4 day holiday weekend at the lake, which just happens to be my hometown. I spent 4 days avoiding public places in fear of running into people I knew from high school. Good times.

This is a view from my house. 

Pelican Lake in Breezy Point, MN.

For me, trips home always entail unhealthy eating. Luckily, I no longer feel the need for unhealthy snacks for the drive home. It's only a 2 1/2 hour trip, but I used to use the trip as an excuse to buy chips or tornadoes from the gas station.

The unhealthy eating occurs because I have a few favorite local spots that I want to dine at while home. These favorites include pizza with white sauce, hash browns with cheese and onions, and an ice cream parlor. The flavor I got this time was called Pirates Booty, and it tastes like cotton candy, swirled with caramel with little chocolate pieces mixed in. It may not sound awesome, but it's seriously to die for. I want another cone right now.

Since I knew that I was going to be dining out several times throughout my trip, I decided that it was probably a good idea for me to pack healthy snacks for all the other meals. I was extremely proud of myself because my snacks included veggies (peppers, carrots, and pea pods), hummus, veggie burgers, fake jerky, and fruit. No chips, no crackers, and no cookies.

Granted there was beer and vodka also packed with the healthy snacks, but I mixed all my cocktails with sparkling water. And as we all know, I am not cutting cocktails out of my diet!

So even though I enjoyed pizza, ice cream, and beer while on vacation, I broke my unhealthy snacking cycle. Which for me is huge! Remember, weight loss is completely built on taking baby steps until those baby steps are habits. And I sure hope that my healthy vacation snacking becomes a habit!

Jazzing Up Cocktails

It's no secret that I love to drink some dranks when given the opportunity. I do pretty well when mixing drinks at home. I typically use Crystal Light as a mixer. Even on vacation I packed Crystal Light packets in my suitcase. My favorite is raspberry lemonade, but truly all of them except the peach tea are good when mixed with alcohol.

My roommate and me at a beach that was a half hour away from our condo, and we still brought  crystal light with. Dedication? I think so! What I wouldn't give to go back in time to this moment....Ugh, real life sucks. 

Back to the point. The problem comes when I am out at the bar, it's not like I can ask for a crystal light and vodka, or can I? Let me back up a little. In my fat girl days I would typically drink vodka collins (aka a shirley temple with vodka), a long island ice tea, or a gin and cranberry.

Then I decided I needed to shape up my act a little so I switched over to gin tonics. Little did I know that most tonic is filled with calories and sugar. For awhile I would ask places for diet tonic but most bartenders looked at me like I was crazy. It's the same kind of look that McDonalds employees give me when I ask for a breakfast sandwich without the meat.

After that I tried drinking gin soda, or vodka soda but I found that drinking rail booze mixed with club soda is like drinking watered down poison. And yes, most of the time I drink rail booze, I'm on a budget! However, there is a bar in my neighborhood that has $1 U-call-its on Thursdays...Can we say trouble?

Anyway, in an effort to keep my mixers lower in calorie I started drinking whiskey and diet, or rum and diet. And that has pretty much been my drink of choice for the last few months. Although someone once told me that mixing alcohol with diet soda gets you drunk faster. Eh, that's fine with me, I would rather be a cheap date. Remember, I am on a budget.

Then one day I was talking to a friend and I said "If I ever own a bar I am going to have crystal light on tap." And that was when the idea struck. Recently there have been a lot of companies that have come out with liquid water enhancers.

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The liquid enhancers allow you individualize any glass of water because you can put in as little or as many drops of flavoring as you would like. At first I thought the idea was so dumb. I have never had any trouble drinking plain ole' water. But if you apply this idea to alcoholic beverages, I am on board!

I went out and bought a bottle of strawberry lemonade crystal light flavor enhancer and threw it in my purse for a night out. This is one of the best ideas I have ever had. I can order vodka sodas, and then just add a little bit of flavoring so that my cheap rail drink doesn't taste like complete death.

I try to be sneaky about dropping in the flavor liquids, just in case the bar wouldn't like me adding outside stuff.

My roommate and I have now collected 4 flavors. From Crystal Light we have tried the strawberry lemonade, and peach bellini. The strawberry lemonade is best when mixed with vodka sodas, and I prefer the peach with gin.

From Dasani we have the pineapple coconut which mixes well with whiskey soda. And then from Mio we have mango peach, which is good with just about anything. I don't bring all the flavors out with me, I usually pick a flavor and then shove it in my clutch for a night out. My current favorite is the peach bellini!