Where’d you go? I miss you so. Seems like it’s been forever, that you’ve been gone.
Well hey there. It’s me She-Hulk. Where have I been? The only answer I can give is: living. Getting through another month, week, day, hour, minute. I’ve been trying to live presently, not successfully I might add but my attempt has brought me a great deal of personal time and thought.
Don’t think I didn’t miss blogging, I really did. There’s just things in life that happen that you can’t fix, no matter how much you care about it or wish things to be different. I’ve come to some realizations over the past few months and here’s what I’ve come up with.
1. I’m an extrovert living in a very introverted world. My husband and friends are all introverts. All of them. If one happens to tip slightly towards extroversion on the scale, it doesn’t compare to me. I love people, I love going and doing things with people, I just want to hang out all the time with people and not apologize for it ok?! But alas that isn’t an option. I must remain inside myself, feeling like hot air will escape if I don’t shut all possible body openings. I must stay quiet when all I want to do is make funny noises and giggle. I must be different from who I am in order to keep peace and not annoy the crap out of everyone, and it just plain sucks. Once I realized this I had a heck of a time trying to fight back and change it, but my husband and friends are important to me. I don’t own the world and I certainly don’t own them so I’m reluctantly working on it.
2. Sometimes I eat crap for dinner. No, not literal crap.
This Baby. It’s a grilled cheeseburger. Epic.
3. But you know what? Life goes on. You just get up and run the next day.
4. There are days when I don’t want to get out of bed, but I do it anyway. Then there are the days I don’t want to get out of bed, and I don’t. These are the days I have to remember that although I’m sad, although my world isn’t always the way I want it to be, although every TS song makes so much sense it’s like we share a brain! I still have so much. I have my faith, my family, and my friends. Of those friends: the best I’ve ever had.
5. And you what? Life goes on.
(Please excuse the Hulkster’s crazy eyes, he just starting wearing contacts again.)
Hubba Hubba
In Loving Memory of Carol Talsma
March 7, 1933- September 25, 2012
Have you ever thought to yourself that you could never accomplish something? You tell yourself that you’re too slow, too fat, too scared? Well let me tell you friends, I competed in The Warrior Dash and lived to tell the tale! Since I was a Warrior Virgin as they called me, I learned some things that helped me get through the race. Looking back on it, I’m so proud of myself because I never thought I could do it! Here’s some things I learned, that may help you too!
1. You “may” means yes you will get wet, dirty, sweaty, muddy, and GROSS! Wear something you don’t like, or don’t mind staining. I rinsed out our clothes and washed them with a booster and detergent after the race thinking it would help. My shirt and sports bra were ok, along with my shorts but our socks that were once black turned paper bag brown. Yeah, not so much…
2. I didn’t run as much as I thought I would. I instead climbed walls, swam in deeper water than I’m comfortable with, and got into the blackest, muddiest sludge rock and grass filled water I’ve ever seen. I even lost my shoe in the mud, it was so thick! Before the race I thought the running would be the hardest for me, but it turned out to be the easiest- who knew?!
3. Do it for fun! I don’t know about you, but just the fact that I did a 5k was huge for me. I’m not a runner (although I’m working on it!) and I really don’t care who beats my time. I went with my husband and his best friend, and it was a blast! We didn’t run for anyone but ourselves! We were kind of laughing at the people that ran for time because it just seems ridiculous. I mean look, you’re running in the woods, swimming in the lake, sledging through mud, jumping over fire, who cares how long you take? To each their own and sorry if I made you furrow your eyebrow at me, but it wasn’t about the glory!
4. There’s always room for more dirt. It took me three loofahs full of body wash and scrub downs to get to a level of clean I was ok with. It was disgusting! The one good thing though, is even though our shoes proved equally as gross, we donated them!
After the race, everyone takes off their mud caked shoes and piles them up. They are taken, cleaned, and donated to people in need around the world, or used for recycling. Cool huh? It makes it that much easier to give away!
5. You will do something you never thought you could do. That is, if you try! The first obstacle was jumping over 5 foot walls. That was just the first one. Then I climbed over a water wall. Then I climbed over a 20 foot wall with a rope. And much much more.
The really cool thing is inspiring people! I was very surprised how many people responded with enthusiasm to want to try themselves! Even with my crazy large bruises on my legs! Someone even signed up for the next race when Taylor told him about it. Pretty cool, I must say.
So, what have you been up to lately?
It’s been a long week, to say the least. I needed some TLC, and a good cry. I’m much better, and ready to give you some Monday Motivations to get you through your week!
1. Bad Prom Photos- Once you get done laughing your butt off at these photos, there’s a whoooole ‘nother gallery you can look at. And another. And another. And you get the picture. Ha, couldn’t help myself 
2. You Winston You Lose Some <– Click the link to see the gallery. So stinkin funny!
4. Taramisu Cake – I can hear the Hallelujah chorus in the background now!
5. Josh Turner- Time is Love. Ok ok, I know a Country song. But this song is like Taylor + Me = Exactly! Josh is such a beautiful person, his music is so positive! And he and his wife have the same anniversary as us…so yeah
Ok guys, get through that week- You can do it!!! I believe in you!
Hey Everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the Olympics so far! Here’s your Monday Motivations, to get you through your week!
1. In honor of the Olympics: Diver’s Faces- LOL!
2. Pictures of Actors when they were younger: Some of these blew me away! Others I was like…who?!
3. Oh Jake…
4. Adele- She is brilliant! I love the way she says thank you after she’s done singing- than koo!
5. Oreo Cheesecake Pretzel Bites- Yes Please!
Have a great week!
Today I was muddy, dirty, sweaty, really gross! But I did it! I finished the Warrior Dash!
Here’s a preview:
We’ve showered and have the Olympics on- naturally!
I will do a full post when I’ve officially recovered- I promise
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!
Before I got married I had this built image in my head of what Saturday mornings would be. I thought of myself serving breakfast in bed to Taylor with a cute little apron on tied with a bow, the smell of fresh waffles wafting through the air as I wake him up with a good morning kiss, and the look on his face that I am the greatest wife on Earth.
Somewhere along the road I missed the train to domestic divaness, but I’m working my way there. Taylor decided to take the day off today and being super excited about that fact, I wanted to make it worthwhile! I got up out of bed, sprinted to the kitchen and got to work on breakfast! Apparently I was so discreet, the noise from the kitchen made him think the cats were getting into something. Nope, that’s just your crazy in love with you wife whipping up pancakes like June Clever in training!
We all know what kind of pancakes are put out by Denny’s, diners, and dads. Mostly white flour, lots of sugar, and really good. I have to praise them for what they do, however my waistline cannot so I improvise the best I can. I made instead Blueberry Almond Pancakes.
This recipe starts with flour, I used half whole wheat and half regular. I think all whole wheat is too much, but it’s not terrible. Then sugar, salt, and lots of baking powder. Are you a fan of pancake mix or making them from scratch? I can go for both, but I think homemade is better.
Then melted butter and an egg are added. Want to know my top secret diet ingredient that I add to most recipes I make over and over? The one thing I swear by in my banana bread and pancakes?
Smart Balance! This stuff is the best, really. It makes everything so moist! I also tried PureAlmond Almond Milk. I was curious to see how it would taste, because normally I use regular cow’s milk. That thought is funny to me…
Mix it all up! One tip I learned from Alton Brown years ago is to never over mix batter! Those lumps are there for a reason- mmm!
I used Michigan blueberries- so cute aren’t they?
As I started to pour about 1/4 cup of batter topping it with blueberries, I looked back on my days of early marriage pancake making. Fun fact: I was terrible. I was so afraid of burning them that I wouldn’t let them cook. Needless to say Taylor was very forgiving as he chocked down pale pancakes for quite some time. After making the subtle suggestion of letting them cook, just a little longer, I learned the error of my ways.
I’m happy to say I’ve improved! So much! We finished up the last of my hippie strawberries that were bursting with sweetness, topped our pancakes with HFCS free syrup, and dug in!
It was love at first bite. I asked him what he thought first, just to make sure I wasn’t biased. He loved them! Oh yeah! They were fluffy, they were sweet, they were the perfect amount of blueberry I love in my pancakes- just enough!
And my top secret diet ingredients? No one will ever know the difference!
Recipe:
Adapted from Big Oven found here
Makes: 10 pancakes for me
1 cup flour (half whole wheat)
1/4 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
3 tbsp melted butter (or Smart Balance)
1 cup milk (PureAlmond)
about a 1/2 pint of blueberries
Directions:
Mix all dry ingredients
Add in wet ingredients, one at a time
Mix, but don’t overdo it
If using a griddle, I find 325- 350 degrees is perfect for pancakes
Using about 1/4 cup of batter, pour into hot oil sprayed skillet
Drop as many blueberries on top as you like
Wait til they’re brown on the bottom, then flip
Enjoy!
With lots of love,
{She-Hulk}
There was a time I was what I call “fat.” Yes overweight, yes pudgy, yes pleasantly plump, chica muy gorda, chunky, and all that jazz. I didn’t start out that way, you’ve seen pictures of me growing up when I was so thin people would tell me I needed to gain weight. I had gained a little bit of weight after high school volleyball ended, but quickly lost it when I joined a gym and found exercise fun again. But then I got married, and I didn’t care anymore.
Marital bliss blinded me to the fact that there are trans fats in some fried foods, copious amounts of calories in fast food, and I just can’t eat all the hummus the world has to offer! By the way, that picture was taken before I did Locks of Love the second time. I hardly recognize myself! This was also taken after work, at a job I hated, I’m just thankful for family and friends because everyone there was a bummer.
It was so hard for me to open up to anyone over the issues I was having with food. I went to a young women’s bible study every week and finally mustered up the courage to talk to them. I was shaking as I told them about how I wanted to get healthy again, they embraced me with loving arms. No one had ever made me feel that comfortable and loved as a friend before. At that time I was really trying to eat healthy foods (mostly fruits, whole grains, brown rice, lean proteins, etc.) but my friends set me on a path that would forever help and change me.
I look pregnant don’t I?! Yeah, that’s what everyone thought too, but I wasn’t! This was also at a baby shower (go figure!) and I’m wearing a maternity shirt- Target is deceptive I tell you! All their maternity stuff looks like normal clothes! I’m so embarrassed by this picture, but this is all part of the process!
My friends told me I was eating too much. Too much? What does that mean, I’m tall so shouldn’t I eat more than you? “Well Amanda, even if you eat 5 fruits before lunch doesn’t mean your body needs it. You need to be eating foods that fill you up and help you curb your appetite so you aren’t reaching for anything you can grab at the moment. Fruit processes quickly, no wonder you’re so hungry!” It was eye opening, to say the least. I never really thought to myself that eating so much healthy food, would actually not be healthy for me! So from then on I changed- and this is what I did and do now to this day! If I can do it, SO CAN YOU. Please, let me be your motivator! I know just how hard it is!
1. Stay in your calorie allowance. I joined Livestrong, and used MyPlate every.single.day. I got so into it, I started to not check how many calories were in foods- because I already knew! It was fun coming up with recipes that I love, to make them healthier. What I love about the site is how much they stress the importance of exercise, which brings me to my next point.
2. Exercise. Whatever you have to do to get up off that couch and get moving, do it and do it now. I tried to reason with myself at first thinking that as long as I stayed in my calories I would lose weight and maintain. I did fine for a while, but it wasn’t until I started working up a sweat and strength training that I really got more toned and thinned out a lot. Exercise doesn’t have to be formal either! Some days I turn on my “running” playlist and boogy down while I clean. Pitbull is my favorite to dance to!
3. Don’t do a cheat day. I know this is big in the weight loss community, “Have a cheat day, you won’t feel deprived!” While I think the concept is good for people that have a very hard time sticking to a strict weekly plan, I think everyday should be a cheat day. Meaning, everyday eat healthy foods, but also allow yourself to eat unhealthy foods. If you’ve ever heard of the 90/10 or 80/20 rule, this works much better for me, and others I know. You eat healthy the majority of the day (80-90%) with good wholesome foods, but then for dessert you have a Skinny Cow or a scoop of ice cream (10-20%). Or you wake up and indulge in a donut, because you know the rest of the day is filled with lots of greens and happy foods! See what I mean? This has helped me so much, because cheat days for the people I know- means “gorge yourself so much you feel sick day!” 
4. Give yourself a break. You and I both know there are blogs out there that are so strictly regimented with food rules, it’s overwhelming! They have these expectations that everyone will eat vegetarian or vegan, organic, fair trade, locally, naturally, all the time! I’ll tell you how that makes me feel -completely inadequate! Not only can I not afford to eat that way all the time, I would be so concerned over every bite I put in my mouth I wouldn’t want to eat in the first place! Just thinking about my breakfast for example- I had organic vanilla yogurt with organic strawberries, topped with slivered almonds. Well everything was packaged in plastic, I didn’t wash my strawberries that well, and my almonds for sure have some sort of chemicals in them. See what I mean? I need to eat in peace! I can’t be worried about every little thing, because then I would worry about every other little thing in my life! AAHH!!
5. Stay at a constant pace. This has been the hardest part for me. Weight loss is a marathon- not a sprint! There are days I get so down on myself because without even thinking I rush through the drive thru because I’m running late and get a bean burrito. As I’m crumbling up the wrapper I realize- oh my gosh, I wasn’t even thinking about my health. I was most likely in {She-Hulk-Out} mode and all I wanted was food, then and there. But instead of feeling guilty about it forever, I figure out the calories, give myself some credit for at least the beans and cheese having some protein, and plan the rest of my day to supplement the nutrients I need to increase and the calories I need to cut back on. Keeping in mind the goal is always my health, and the race never ends until I’m old and wrinkly. Hopefully I’ll still be kickin it old school with sunglasses doing thai chi with my Hulkster- dare to dream!
So what about you? What do you do to stay fit?
