30 Day Harry Potter Challenge - Day 3

Day 3: Which of the films have made you angry because they've ignored important parts of the book?

The only part I would have appreciated seeing was Dumbledore's funeral. I felt it was such a turning point for Harry and his decision to finish searching for the remaining Horcruxes. But, it is what it is. Movies are always different from the books, so I always tend to look at them as separate entities and enjoy them for their differences and their similarities.

xoxo,

Megan

30 Day Harry Potter Challenge - Day 2

I've been so bad about updating this! I really need to set aside a time every day for blogging! So hopefully this becomes as much of a routine as my fitness routine has!

Day 2: Your Favorite of the 8 movies

This one is going to be difficult for me because I can't just pic one movie that is my favorite. I have two favorites that I love for very different reasons.

 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite movie because I love the character of Siris Black in the series and I think his character was cast so well, that I really can't imagine anyone else playing Sirius. Well, Johnny Depp could have done the part very, very well, but still, Gary Oldman as Sirius has my heart!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is also my favorite because of how superbly Snape's death scene was done. Severus Snape is my absolutely favorite character in the series and the portrayal of Snape's love and loyalty was so well depicted in his death scene. No better love story could have been told in such a short span of time in all of literature and to capture that moment so purely and so wonderfully in the film was thoroughly pleasant to see.

xoxo,

Megan

Fit & Healthy Life

It's been quite a while since I've updated you all on my life in general and I apologize for that. Things are crazy here with school and keeping house and trying to get back in shape. So, I'm excited for the day that I'll be able to blog more frequently, even perhaps every day.

Anyway - I've been pretty good about my eating and working out. I'm getting to the point where working out is starting to become a habit. This morning I had every intention of not working out and focusing solely on the insane amounts of homework I'm behind on. Apparently, that little voice in the back of my head had another plan. I did get some homework done, but I also felt the nagging to get my work out in and let me tell you, the fact that working out is becoming a habit is a HUGE thing because I haven't been this active since I was in high school! It feels great!

For my workout today I did my abs and then started a new running routine. My ab routine consists of the following:

1. In-N-Outs: 25 reps
2. Forward Bicycles: 25 reps
3. Reverse Bicycles: 25 reps
4. Crunchy Frogs: 25 reps
5. Cross-Leg/Wide Leg Sit Ups: 25 reps
6. Scissors: 25 reps
7. Hip Butt Ups: 25 reps
8. Heels to the Heavens: 25 reps
9. Straight leg Sit Ups: 25 reps
10. V-Ups: 25 reps
11. Leg Climbers: 25 reps
12. Kayakers: 50 reps. 

It is definitely a tough ab workout, but the next day it feels great!! Please note, however, that I had to break up exercises 9 and 10 because my core and abs aren't strong enough to do Roll-Up V-Ups in one motion. But I will get there one day.

The running routine I started is called "Couch to 5K Running." Today I did day 1, which consisted of walking 5 minutes, then jogging for 2 minutes, and then walking for 5 minutes. I did this for thirty minutes and managed to burn 200 calories. As a person who never truly enjoyed running, I can say that my body is starting to feel the positive effects of it. I am actually excited about going to the gym tomorrow and doing it all over again!!

Before I end this update, I'm going to leave you all with an example of the menu I eat during the day. Sometimes it varies and sometimes it stays exactly the same. Trust me, the benefits are already paying off. I feel better over all and don't need as much sleep. It's truly great. Oh and by the way, I've completely cut out soda. I had a coke the other day because I had a headache, but that is the ONLY soda I've had in almost a month. I'm pretty impressed with myself because I used to have more than one soda a day.

Breakfast:

1. 2 eggs: 140 calories, 12 grams of protein. 
2. 2 cups of strawberries: 97 calories, 2 grams of protein, 6.1 grams of fiber
3. Olive oil (used for scrambling the eggs in): 120 calories

Pre-Workout:

1. Protein with 8 ounces of milk: 267 calories, 33 grams of protein
2. Banana:   105 calories, 1.3 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber.

Post-Workout

1. Kashi Go Lean Protein Bar: 200 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 10 grams of protein 

Lunch

1. Turkey Sandwich: 170 calories, 11 grams of protein
2. Plum: 35 calories, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams protein
3. Tortilla chips: 140 calories, 2 grams of protein, 1 gram of fiber
4. 4 tablespoons of Picante Salsa: 40 calories, 1 gram of fiber

Dinner

1. 4 ounces of Pork Chop (or some kind of other meat): 160 calories, 21 grams protein 
2. Baked Potato: 110 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein
3. Sunburst Tomatoes: 45 calories, 2 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein. 

I only have about one snack a day and that usually consists of Fiber 1 One bars. My favorite is Chocolate Peanut Butter and is only 90 calories. It's great because it gives me my chocolate fill but still gives me 5 grams of fiber! I highly recommend them!

Total Calorie Intake: 1,719 (I typically, for my own weight-loss goals, need to eat somewhere around or under 1840calories. Of course there are days where this is high or low, but don't let it get you down! Eating is essential to fitness).

Total Protein Intake: 101.3 grams (Essential to build up muscle and stay fuller longer)

Total Fiber Intake: 27.1 grams (Essential for good digestive health and to stay fuller longer)

I'll try to update again soon. 

xoxo,

Megan

30 Day Harry Potter Challenge - Day 1

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a H.U.G.E. Harry Potter buff. No really, it's kind of sad how obsessed I am. I will spend hours rereading the books, rewatching the movies, or pinning Harry Potter pins on pinterest. If you looked up the definition of the ultimate Harry Potter fan, well my name would under be it. No joke. 

A few days ago I ran across a challenged on Pinterest called the 30 Day Harry Potter Challenge and today, I'm starting out on this adventure. Enjoy!

Day 1: Your Favorite of the 7 Books

I had a really tough time choosing this one because Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is also my favorite book. However, I ended up choosing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix because it is such a central book to the entire story of Harry Potter and his preparation in defeating Lord Voldemort. We learn the history of Harry's prophecy and perhaps my favorite part of the entire book was learning why Harry is "The Chosen One." I loved learning that Neville could have easily been "The Chosen One," and it taught me a great deal about friendship and bravery, even in the face of all consuming despair. It was one of the moments where I truly realized that JK Rowling is a pure genius of story telling and it is why I love her novels and the world of Harry Potter so much!

 

xoxo,

Megan

Life Style Change - Days 2 through 7

I apologize for being such a slacker in the rest of my daily updates and I'm afraid this update won't be much of one. Unfortunately, I failed miserably at my new journey last week. I don't have any excuses because it's all on me; I was lazy. End of story. 

Let me tell you, it is incredibly hard to get up early everyday and be at the gym by 6:45. I've always loved to sleep in and getting out of bed in the mornings has always been difficult for me. The past three years I was a housewife and a full time college student and also during this time Eric was working 3pm to 11pm shifts at work. So, naturally we slept all day and didn't start our days usually until he left for work. This makes my habit of becoming a morning person that much more difficult to break. I've gotten so accustomed to sleeping in that it's something I struggle with. Plus, my big, fully, pillow top mattress is like sleeping on a cloud. Did I mention that when Eric goes to work, I'll have the bed to myself? Yeah..hah.

The good news is, is that I'll hopefully be starting to work soon (not sure what schedule) but regardless, I won't have the luxury of sleeping in everyday. I'll have a part time job and school work to worry about and household duties to fulfill. I expect it will be all the more easier for me to get off my lazy butt and into more of a routine. 

Another thing that's hard for me is keeping a food journal. But I know this is essential to me getting a healthy way of life on track. It's tedious and monotonous and gets old really, really quickly. However, I know as soon as I start seeing results, I'll have the incentive to keep doing it. 

Lastly, the other struggle I've been dealing with is needing to also do strength training. I'm having issues stepping out of my comfort zone and actually doing this at the gym. Until I get to that point, I'm going to do a strength training routine I have done before at our house with the weights we have here. It's got specific exercises for specific days. Hopefully, as I become more confident in it and strength training itself, I'll be willing to do it at the gym...alone...on their weight machines. 

Well, I suppose that's it for tonight. Tomorrow is Day 8. I won't be weighing myself in  because I know I didn't do what I was supposed to last week. Maybe next week. 

xoxo,
Megan

Lifestyle Change - Day 1

I apologize that it's been almost a year since I've posted an actual blog. Unfortunately, things got really busy with us and I just didn't have any time. I promise I will update you on the drastic changes life has fed us in the past few months.

Anyway - most of you know I lived in Alaska for a couple years and while I enjoyed my adventure there with my husband, our two dogs, and the handful of great friends we found there, I do have one thing I loathed more than anything about it: Alaska makes you a very inactive person. The inactivity is mostly due to the 8ish months of winter (snow, sheer cold, and darkness) that we have. It literally makes us want to hibernate and sit on our couches and eat comfort food all the time. Definitely not a recipe for healthy living.

When I moved to Alaska in 2008, I weighed a whopping 115 pounds. I had always been active and I never imagined my weight would increase as drastically as it did. By the time I left Alaska, I weighed 154 pounds. This is something I am not proud of. While 154 is not "fat" persey, it's not healthy for my weight or body shape either. More importantly, I am not happy with me. I lost the self esteem I once had and the love for myself I once had and I am more determined than ever to fix that part about me. I'm determined to live a healthy, active life and get to a place where I am confident and strong and happy with how my body looks. Yes, I want to be toned and yes I want to lose 25 pounds, but I also don't want to be too concerned about getting to a certain number on the weight scale.

So I started on my journey today and I'm going to keep going for the rest of my life. Here's to a happy, healthy, fit, strong, and capable me. I know I can do this and to help keep myself on track I am keeping a food journal and counting calories like a madman. I'm also going to be going to the gym for about two hours every morning and making better eating choices. Lastly, I'll be blogging about my journey and showing you my pitfalls and my successes. I hope you follow on this journey with me and I hope I can, in some way, become an inspiration to you to be fit and healthy and happy. After all, we only live once, why not embrace every part of it by being the best we can be and, to me, that starts with fitness.

Day 1

Today was Day 1 of my new journey. Unfortunately, I woke up at 5am unable to fall back to sleep. So after laying in bed until 5:30 or so I got up and decided to make myself breakfast. Although I saw my early rising as an unfortunate thing, looking back, it honestly wasn't that bad. I was more than ready to hit the gym at 6:30am than I thought I would be because I am the exact opposite of a morning person. Once I got to the gym I rolled out and then hit the elliptical for 60 minutes. After the elliptical, I worked my way over to the stairmaster for 10 minutes. Then I walked for a 15 minute cooldown. Not to shabby if you ask me. 

I did have a couple of obstacles while working out. There were so many times today where I wanted to quit and give in to the mentality that my body just couldn't take anymore. The brain is a mighty powerful thing and sometimes it's hard to overcome the thought processes of it and what it thinks you should be doing. However, will power is the single most essence of a human being that is more powerful than thinking and the brain. If you have the will power to do something, nothing can stand in your way. I see this every day in life and more importantly, I see this in watching the transformations on Biggest Loser. If those contestants can do it, SO CAN I! I pushed through the pain and the self-doubt and I came out strong today in my workout. I know some days will be harder than others, but that's how fights are won; by pushing through and never quitting. 

Another misstep I had today was getting a sausage biscuit and Dr. Pepper from McDonald's. Like I said, my brain's sneaky thought processes found a way to beat my willpower. After seeing how those two simple meals really threw off my caloric intake for the day, I will no longer be giving into those dirty, creepy, demon caloric thoughts. In order to change to a healthy, fit, and happy lifestyle, I have to stick with my willpower. It will get me through anything. 

Daily Food Journal - Day 1

I'm posting my daily food journal so I can personally be held accountable for what I put into my body. In order to lose weight, it was suggested by a healthy professional to keep my caloric intake at 1839 calories a day. As I said early, I made a poor choice today, and therefore, even after my workout, I was over the recommended intake amount. Tomorrow I will do better and hopefully, before I know it, I'll see results!

Breakfast:

1. 2 scrambled eggs in 1 tablespoon of olive oil: 260 calories; 12 grams of protein
2. toast with less than a tablespoon of butter: 75 calories; 3 grams of protein
3. 1 cup of V8 juice: 140 calories
4. A small banana: 90 calories; 1 gram of protein

Misc.

1. Sausage biscuit: 430 calories; 11 grams of protein (OH MY LANTA NEVER AGAIN!)
2. Medium dr. pepper: 210 calories (HOLY CRAPOLY! I'm really kicking myself now!) 

Snack:

1. Small banana: 90 calories; 1 gram of protein. 

Lunch:

1. Turkey Breast Sandwich: 170 calories; 11 grams of protein.
2. Tortilla Chips: 280 calories; 2 grams of protein.
3. Picante Salsa: 60 calories 

Dinner:

1. 2 Small slices of pepperoni pizza: 780 calories; 32 grams of protein.

Water Intake:

1. 4 twenty-four ounce water bottles 

 Calories Burned During Workout:

1. 702 Calories

  Grand Total (counting the subtraction of the calories burned at the gym): 1883 calories; 86 grams of protein.

Long story short: I will do SO much better tomorrow! Just you wait and see! My daily caloric intake will not exceed 1839 calories (not including the calories burned at the gym). I'll make better choices tomorrow, are you?!

~Megan