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Responding to Les Mills Motivational Posters

/ foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

Good evening ladies and gents!!

Today, after work, I had two things on my mind: Zumba and Dinner.

While shopping for dinner, I passed what I’ll consider a sign from the powers that be, and stopped thinking about food entirely.

Wine sale? Don't mind if I do.

Clearly, I had to do something really stupid, because when life hands you lemons (or carts full of discount wine), make lemonade (or buy it.)

That's right, Arbor Mist SUCKAS!

I picked up a somewhat classy bottle of Bogle Riesling (gotta celebrate the Summer of Riesling, right?) and an opposite-of-classy bottle of “Mixed Berry” Arbor Mist.  Because sometimes… well, you gotta throw back a bottle of ridiculously cheap wine, college lady style.  I’m hoping that my friend, Veronika, will wanna do a little wine tasting like we did before…. Then I can sneak in that Arbor Mist and see where the night goes!

Zumba Nation!!!!!

Zumba was a success, for the most part.  But I’ll be honest, by the end of the workout, I was feeling kinda ornery and tender in the ankle/knee region.  And as I walked outta the gym, I passed these godforsaken motivational posters that I always see.  Even though I love working out, by the end, I mostly end up hateful towards anything telling me to work harder.  These posters are no exception.  I thought I’d share with you my visceral reactions to these Les Mills Motivational Posters (note, these are all post-workout thoughts, I love motivation and Les Mills programs).

BodyFlow poster.

“Well, I guess… if today was different…. I’d spend most of it in the pose that you weirdos are doing. However, it’s not different, so I’ll try to continue it not looking like a tool. Thanks.”

BodyPump poster

“You’re right. This could be day one.  Day one of getting a massage once a week, day one of sleeping 10 hours a day, day one of PLENTY more things than being fit. I know that you want it to be day one of lifting way more weight than I’m comfortable lifting in BodyPump, but I think I’ll go for the massage. Thanks.”

BodyAttack poster

“You know what, BodyAttack?  The hardest part isn’t deciding to go. I think the hardest part is that damn plyometric track where you force me to jump back and forth doing single lunges in a room that’s so hot I think the ground is actively sweating.  Deciding to go… that was NBD.”

BodyCombat poster

“Well, I know what’s stopping the young lady on the left, and that is the harness built into her shorts.  As far as what’s stopping me… It might be a fear that the giant man in the back is going to kick me in the kidney, or the fact that the girl in front of me refuses to look back when she does those donkey kicks towards my face…  Take your pick.”

Though these posters always inspire me when I’m going into the group fitness room, when I see them on the way out…. Let’s just say that they’re lucky they haven’t been ripped off the wall.

I think I’ll take the day off the gym tomorrow, my ankle was acting up by the end of Zumba and I’d love some time to finally unpack after this wild wedding weekend.

In case you missed the recaps, check out the Wedding Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner!

Do motivational posters pump you up, or tick you off? 

For me, it’s a little of both…

The 61 Hour Wedding Whirlwind Weekend: Rehearsal Dinner at Monterey Bay Fish Grotto

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Hey all! Made it through Monday, unscathed.

Another day, another DELICIOUS lunch!!

So hot and steamy!!

On the menu today:

  • Steamed broccoli with some cajun seasoning on it for spice
  • Flatout wrap in Light Italian Herb containing: a fried egg, some fat free cheddar, a piece of turkey, spinach, and salsa
  • Diet Lime Pepsi (not pictured)

Still struggling to get enough sleep, but had a great time last night at Carolina Ale House so it was worth it!!

Back to the good stuff.  In case you missed it, check out the Wedding Rehearsal Recap of Caitlin.  After we finished up at the Chapel, and having only nibbled on some healthy snacks it was obvious that most of us were STARVING! Luckily, on the agenda was the Rehearsal Dinner at Monterey Bay Fish Grotto on Mt. Washington.  This spot was way up high (we’re talking so high your ears may pop in the elevator up), but offered up a most beautiful view of the city, so I’ll take the trade-off.

City of Steel, City of Bridges

I was glad to finally meet up with Ryan, who’d been enjoying the scenery (read: bed) at the hotel.

Hey there, studly boyf! I missed you!

In typical beer brat fashion, I started pestering our waiter(s) about their beer selection.  I, of course, was immediately read off a lengthy list of light lagers (ooh, beer alliteration!) reminding me of that post I wrote about Women and Craft Beer.  I gave him a quick head shake, and asked what other beers they had (wink wink… let me at the good stuff!)  I was rewarded for my persistence with an ice cold bottle of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, one of my very favorite IPAs.  Ahh…. that’s what I was talking about.

The menu for the night was promising, and I was excited at what I saw:

So many options!

I went with a Roti grille style Salmon, marinated in Teriyaki sauce, chargrilled and topped with a honey lime glaze.  Also, I ate both my and Ry’s salad (I’m a salad disposal, basically).

Complete with fried wonton strips and an asian dressing!

Served with another Dogfish Head, veggies, and a very moist and flavorful wild rice mix

It was UNBELIEVABLY delicious, and I cleared the plate completely.  We’re talking not a grain of rice on the plate.  I was hongry (that spelling is intentional to describe just how hungry I was. I promise.)!

While we were waiting for the food to come out, though, we noticed a very strange trend in the gentlemen in attendance.  I’ll precede this by saying there was no formal dress code for the meal.  Yet, here’s what we got:

The groom and friend looking dapper.

Fellows chatting it up.... noticing the trend yet?

At this point, I was freaking out.

HOLY MACKEREL EVERY SINGLE BOY (3 exceptions) WAS WEARING VARYING SHADES OF BLUE BUTTON DOWNS AND KHAKI!

Yeah, I know. I wonder if they got ready together like we did… probably.  It was a very hilarious realization, at least to me and my tablemates (some of them were participating in the uniform).

I finished the meal off with (probably 2) more Dogfish Head and this delightful slice of cheesecake:

Mmmm peach accents. Heavenly!

Thank goodness my dress was very forgiving, because I was stuffed to the brim.  Luckily, we had Lindsey’s beau, John, to drive us back to the hotel where we crammed our VERY full bellies into the backseat.

Cozy, guys? (Photo credit to Lindsey!)

I fell asleep relatively early, thank goodness, because the next day was CAITLIN’S WEDDING DAY!

Stay tuned for the next post where I talk about the PRIMPING at the salon (aka maybe my favorite part of any experience ever.)

What would you have for your rehearsal dinner (or, if you’re married, where did you have your rehearsal dinner?)

Is your tummy full just reading this post?

Mine is… but I think it’s due to lunch.  I guess it’s back to work for Jojo!

Feeling like a Superhero!!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Good evening friends and neighbors!! It’s likely too late for most of you, other than the owls like myself (though let’s face it, despite my best wishes, I’m more of an early bird anyway).  For the few of you that are up, though, you’re probably doing something cool like I am.  Translation: streaming netflix and scanning the internet for stuff.

This evening, perhaps spawned by my after-work group fitness class, I was inspired when I came upon this classic gem:

Remember this fantastic Saturday morning cartoon?

My brothers and I used to watch this growing up and, like all good things do, it finally ended up on Netflix.  I’ll be honest, though, as I’m watching it, I can’t help but think that there were a few “X-Men” (and women) who really weren’t anything to write home about….

Nerdy and Hairy

Poor Beast aka Hank McCoy…  He’s just a big blue furball looking for some sort of acceptance.

I think Ocean City does this every year for Independence Day, just saying.

And Jubilee…. well, here’s the thing, I love fireworks just as much as the next girl.  But if that was my “superpower”, I think I’d just stick to New Years Eve shows.  Luckily, there are characters like Storm and Jean Grey to keep things interesting.

Badass Ladies repping it hard.

Anyway, tonight’s workout left me feeling kind of like a superhero myself!!

BodyCombat’s new release came out this past weekend at my gym, and it ROCKED!!

823 calories, one hour, heck yes!

The new release was AWESOME, and the track list was also top notch.

1a: In My Head (Kris McTwain Remix Edit) – Henry Blank
1b: Airplanes (Kris McTwain Remix Edit) – Groove Chasers
2: Smooth Criminal – Badlands Inc
3: We Dance On – Subz Project
4: Come In Hard (Don’t Like Rock ‘N’ Roll) – Hardknox
5: If I Were You – Breeze & Ritmen
6: Drummer Boy (MoDrums Remix) – Alesha Dixon
7: The Last Fight – Bullet For My Valentine
8: Everywhere (Breeze & UFO Remix) – Master Blaster
9: The Time (Dirty Bit) – Red Beans & Rice
10: The Silence (New Single Mix) – Alexandra Burke

My very favorite was probably the Drummer Boy remix, KILLER on the legs, lots of eskivas and lunges, but an awesome beat that kept me going.

I enjoyed it more than I do most BodyCombat classes, especially after the last time that I took it and twisted my ankle. But I took care to stay solid on my feet, and felt great throughout it.

After such a great workout, I was excited for a delicious meal with the beau and his father and step mother.

We went to Carolina Ale House and, despite the inconsistent service (she was incredibly attentive with drinks, much less so with food and the check), I enjoyed every bite!

Pickle chips for the table!

Blackened Mahi Mahi, my favorite way to eat fish!

I avoided the rice side, and paired the meal with a DELICIOUS couple of beers.  Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale (a beer I’d only seen before at festivals!) and the New Belgium Ranger IPA (one of my favorites from the Tour de Fat!) Good to the last drop, and paired so nicely with the fish!

Hop-TASTIC!

And now, after watching my Monday night cartoon fix…. it’s off to bed!

Do you ever wish you had superpowers? If so, what?! Did I ask this before?

No big, always a favorite question of mine.

I do, all the time.  I think I’d LOVE to be a shapeshifter, or have Storm’s ability to control the weather… If only.

The 61 Hour Wedding Whirlwind Weekend: The Rehearsal

/ foodsweatandbeers / 15 Comments

Hey all!!  I’m back to the grind of day to day after a CRAZY weekend in Pittsburgh, PA for the wedding of my best friend, Caitlin, to the man of her dreams!

I have to admit, getting back to a healthy lunch after all that rich food this weekend was JUST what I was craving.  The theme of the meal?

Green!

Broccoli, Spinach, and Lime (diet pepsi lime, that is...)

Ok, I’ll admit, the Diet Pepsi Lime isn’t the freshest of ingredients, but I was in desperate need of some caffeine.  And also, on my sandwich, along with the spinach, was melted muenster cheese, a fried egg, and a piece of turkey. On the side? Steamed broccoli.  All served in the cutest plate/bowl set ever, from the movie Wall-E (a VERY favorite of the beau and I.  I’m always Eva.)

But honestly, I know you’re not reading this post for my lunch.  You want the good stuff.  And I’m here to give it to you.

Rest assured, this is part one of a few (not sure how many yet) because I simply can’t fit all the fun into one post.

After waking up at 5 am on Friday morning, we hit the ground running (very tough after the fun had on Thursday with the Girls Pint Out event!)  We hit up Dunkin Donuts and, honestly, I don’t even remember the first few hours of the trip (thanks to the beau for driving!!)

Before we knew it (well, not really, but eventually) we made it to Pittsburgh!!

Wahoo!! FINALLY!!

We got settled in, I jumped in the shower, and Ryan spent his time doing more important things… Like testing out the hotel bed.

It definitely met up to his standards.

While he stayed in the room and got to enjoy some pizza delivered to his room (some boys have all the luck), I went to begin the Maid of Honor duties… And that meant getting ready with the girls for the rehearsal and dinner!

Beautiful bride-to-be primping!

Cait's college roomies sharing the giant mirror in Cait's room

After we felt sufficiently dolled up, we ventured across the bridge to the BEAUTIFUL Heinz Chapel.  It seems like only yesterday (but truly it was 14 months ago!) that we were posing outside of this stunning chapel or feigning holding of the bridal bouquets.

14 months ago, how time flies!

After a bit of confusion with the parking garage, I finally made it to the church and couldn’t RESIST trying out the rehearsal bouquet on for size.

A rainbow of colors = my favorite color

Big thanks to Cait’s bridesmaid, Lindsey, for her hard work making the bouquet and for toting my non-local booty all over the greater Pittsburgh area.  The sky was looking rather foreboding, same as during Cait’s Bachelorette party night, but most of us made it out of the weather unscathed.

Rain, rain, GO AWAY!

The bride was absolutely glowing, and the rehearsal was just stunning.

She's just stoked her sexy hair didn't get wet!

Heinz Chapel is absolutely magnificent in every sense of the word.  The stained glass all over the building is breathtaking, the acoustics are BOOMING, and the central air conditioning… is non-existent.

It really feels like a castle.

Those fans were the only thing keeping the bridal party from straight melting to the pews.

I tried to tough it out and not cry all weekend (a nearly impossible endeavor for a Weepy Wendy like myself) but the second Eamonn started reading his vows, I lost it.

The ONLY tissue that my tear ducts demanded from me all weekend!!

Luckily, I only needed one of the tissues from the ever-ready boxes all weekend, and the rest of the rehearsal I was (for the most part) okay….  I walked a little too fast with my walking-buddy, Jimmy (her little brother… and the only member of the groomsmen that was over 5’10” aka the ONLY acceptable walking partner), and tried to keep my choking sobs to a minimum, and within about 40 minutes, we were outta there!!

Just a teaser of what was to come!

Stay tuned for the rest of the weekend, I promise, it only gets better from here!!

Are you a Weepy Wendy like myself?  If so, what gets you going?

 

 

My apologies

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Hey all, and happy Sunday night! (sarcasm… I’m so tired.)

Sorry I fell off the face of the Earth this weekend, I forgot my computer charger in North Carolina (the wedding was in Pittsburgh) and… oh yeah, had to be a Maid of Honor on a wedding weekend!!

Everything was wonderful, and I’ll do a few recap posts in the next several days.  In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few teaser pictures….

Oh, rest stops in West Virginia... you slay me.

Workout Substitution: Bikini tops are SORTA like a sports bra, right?

Everyone needs a little pampering.

It's all about the details.

It ended, as all good stories do, with fireworks...

 

More tomorrow, now we SLEEP LIKE ROYALTY!!

 

Wordless (as in there are less words than usual) Friday

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Last night was chock full of this:

Mexican Shrimp Martini from Rockfish

North Carolina Girls Pint Out!!

Explaining the two beer specials of the night at Tyler's

A Toast to the LADIES WHO CAME OUT!! WE LOVE YOU!!

The Inaugural/Founding Members of NC Girls Pint Out! (minus a few, we missed you)

Don’t worry, none of this made an appearance.

BLECH!

And now I’m off to a LONGGGGG drive.  Luckily, I’ve got a bunch of THIS!

Healthy snacks for the Pitt Trip!

Twist and Shout

/ foodsweatandbeers / 6 Comments

Happy lunchtime, y’all!!

This post will be a brief one, as I have loads of packing to do for the weekend!!  Knocking that checklist down, slowly but surely.

That being said, today’s workout was an early morning one, my favorite kind!  I headed over to the gym a little before 7 am for my favorite BodyAttack class at O2 Fitness .  The instructor, Javier, is FANTASTIC and always manages to pump me up despite it being over an hour before my average wake-up call.  Today, though, did not go as smoothly as usual.

My workout looked like this:

Notice anything different?

About 15 minutes into the workout, during a little ski jump agility action, I twisted my right ankle.  Sort of like this:

You know what that feels like, right? MISERY!

Having broken that food in 10th grade (and the other foot 6 years later), I knew not to mess around so the second I twisted it, I fell to the ground, hobbled over to the side, grabbed my stuff, and left.

I finished the workout with some weights, situps/ab work, and even some pushups (hear that Michelle?! I’m trying!!) Here’s proof that I did pushups for once in my life without an instructor demanding them of me:

The proof is in the BEAUTIFUL picture!

I was feeling particularly snarky at the gym after twisting my ankle, when I saw the posters that encourage me to join a group fitness class.  And I decided that would make a hilarious blog post.  So expect it on the horizon, because sometimes… Jordan’s just gotta be rude and bwitchy.

Breakfast was provided by Meghann and Attune Foods from winning on the Healthy Living Summit blog.

De-lish!

The Uncle Sam cereal is delicious, I loveee the flax seeds in it, and it pairs nicely with some blueberries.

Ok, off to pack!!

Ever had a workout related injury?

The Best Laid Plans

/ foodsweatandbeers / 3 Comments

Good morning, early birds!!

So, while yesterday didn’t go exactly as planned, I learned a few things, got a nice workout in, and spent time with the beau.

Dinner was a TASTY one, and very easy at that (mostly because the beau volunteered to finish up cooking so I could pack for MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING ON SATURDAY!!)  We picked up a pack of Al Fresco Chicken Sausage on sale at the store, and let me just say… it may have been the best decision of the week.

Hello little weenie-shaped links of goodness!

The flavor we chose was Roasted Pepper and Asiago and for two links, there are a little less than 300 calories.  We used the whole pack, cut up into little disks (as the weenie-shape was making my appetite fade fast).  We added these tender cooked disks to some Reduced Sodium Zatarain’s Jambalaya (a staple in our home considering the beau’s got hardcore cajun roots).  The sausage made this dish.  While I’m always a fan of the Zatarain’s rice dishes (I used to have the red beans and rice for dinner while I was on Weight Watchers at least once a week), this sausage added a whole new level of tastiness.  The Asiago cheese inside was so savory and made the sausage creamy almost.  Jeez, I wanna say creamy, but I feel like that’s not the right word…. Well, imagine a creamy sausage that still retains its “sausage-ness” and that’s what you get.  It was a perfect match.

Also, while craving a sweet treat after dinner, I remembered Chocolate Covered Katie’s Cupcakes for One.  The recipe seemed easy enough and, since I was feeling particularly lazy, I went for the microwaved version.  Well…. either my measurements were off (likely) or my microwave has super powers (more likely).  Either way, it ended up mostly rock hard.  I tried to remedy the situation by adding some chocolate… luckily I had a fresh bag of Adora disks and melted one on top, which made it edible (and full o’ calcium!)  I don’t know if I’m brave enough to try this again, and in the future…. should probably stick to baking in an oven, not a microwave.  And we all know my issues with microwaves…

Today’s workout is BodyAttack, the early morning edition.  Maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to squeeze some sunshine in at lunchtime.  Wish me luck!

Ever had a baking blunder?  My last blunder was with cooking, not baking, but it actually turned out delicious.

What’s your favorite day of the workweek?  Mine’s usually Thursday, due to an early morning workout, tasty appetizers for half price at dinner, and normally a trip to the mall for funzees….

Enjoy the day!!

Learn Something New Every Day

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Good evening friends!

I loved reading about your opinions regarding the Bridal Party BYOB decision, I think that the final decision will be a fun six pack of beers, with a cheapy bottle of champagne for the fun of the trolley ride.  It’ll be good for pacing myself and even better for deliciousness and options.  I also plan on bringing some water bottles and a tasty snack or two.

So the day went swimmingly well, though not exactly as planned.  Sometimes that’s how the best days work, right?

Around 3pm, I had my work buddy drop me back off at Jiffy Lube.  I know it’s less than a quarter of a mile from my office but honestly, in this nasty heat, even that would’ve left my outfit so drenched in sweat it would not have been work appropriate.  They changed my oil, rotated my tires, and I had a coupon for $10 off.  I got back into the ol’ cav and it drives like a dream!!

Maybe not as good as it drove in 2006...But I definitely don't have many pictures of my car.

I have had my Chevrolet Cavalier for a while now (pushing on 9 years), and it’s gotten me everywhere I’ve needed to go, and back again.  However, it’s also dealt with its fair share of nicks and bumps and rear ends in the time, so it’s always nice when I can give it a little TLC.  I think it’s a girl car, so it wears one of my tiaras on the back.  And this princess is ready for her long journey to Pittsburgh and back.  960 miles on the agenda.  Luckily, though, that’s round trip.  And honestly, having done the 700+ mile trip to Ole Miss and back, I’m not too worried (except for the part where I have to wake the beau up before 6am… that won’t be pretty.)  Oh well, I started packing tonight and hopefully we’ll have everything ready by tomorrow so we can just wake up and go.  That’s the plan.

The plan for working out was AbSculpt followed by BodyPump.  Alas, AbSculpt turned out to be a totally different experience, as the substitute instructor was (GASP) a pilates princess.  Real talk, this woman was flipping her legs around and doing core workouts that my puny ab/back muscles struggled to handle.

Really, what person thought "Hey, this probably works out some muscles." then just did it? (Source)

The craziest part?  The woman instructing the class was just casually chatting the entire time, like she wasn’t even doing more than standing in line at a coffee shop.  Meanwhile, I was gasping for breath as I tried to “inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth.”  Read: choke an occasional exhale out and sound like a pregnant woman in Lamaze class as you inhale… Cute, right?

What did I learn from the class? I learned that Pilates is HARDCORE. Much more than I ever thought. I definitely gained a new respect for Pilates…. as well as the desire to take BodyFlow, because I sense a challenge to my muscles (and my drive to have a stronger core… something I could really use.)  I learned that my abs…. they need a lotta work.

Since I got more of a muscle/core workout and less of a cardio blast in, I skipped Pump and hit the elliptical instead.  A hard fought 33 minutes later, and I was drenched and exhausted enough to head home.

610 calories, and I forgot to turn my HRM on until halfway through ab-class

I thought I would have some sort of protein shake or something like that when I got home, but all my Almond Milk was at the office… Next option?

Kiki the Kiwi. Wait, you don't name your food before you eat it?

Here’s another thing I learned. I don’t really like kiwi.  I don’t mind it as a topping in my FroYo, or in a giant fruit salad…. but alone, it just doesn’t do it for me.  Oh well, so glad I only bought one.  Save those tasty oranges for the long trip to Pittsburgh.

Now I’m off to watch The A-Team… maybe I’ll learn what boys see in this kind of flick?  Luckily, I don’t need to learn what I see in it… I’ll give you a hint.

Ok, it was a big hint.

Hee hee hee….

Did you learn anything today?

Have you ever done pilates? TELL ME YOUR WAYS!!!