Welcome to Moves for Brews, my health and wellness blog.  You may be asking yourself, “How do brews fit into a healthy lifestyle?”  That’s a great question, one that I am trying to answer as I attempt to slim down and shape up, all the while continuing to enjoy great drinks.  My spouse and I are home brewers, and in addition to our own beers we like to keep up with the beer that’s available in our area.  We sometimes will plan travel around beer runs.  We’re serious about this!

I find that a lot of fitness tends to be about guilt and shame, “Eat this.  Don’t eat that.”  Alcohol is frequently on the list of “shall nots.”  I am working on finding ways to eat healthy, exercise more, and still enjoy a brew or two.  This blog will chronicle that process.

About Me

I’m Erin, a 30-something teacher living in Detroit, Michigan. I’ve lived all over the U.S., and mostly grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, but have been in the Midwest for a few years now.  You’ll find all sort of hippie-dippy Bay Area-ness about me, but one of the best features about the Midwest is the brew culture.  Having lived in Ohio and “that state up North,” I’d probably still give Michigan an edge on its breweries, but Ohio is coming up fast.

My fitness has had its ups and downs over the years.  I’ve been “chubby” for as long as I can remember, and by college I’d climbed up into the 240’s on my 5’9.5″ (or, in my basketball days, 5’11” <wink wink>) frame.  Through a combination of exercise and more healthful, primarily vegetarian, eating, I worked off much of the weight.  After college, I joined Curves, walked a ton, never went out to eat because I was making peanuts, and made it down into the 170s.  Then, I went to grad school.  Over the next decade, the weight slowly crept back on…and off…and on.

I started reading fitness blogs online written by people who had lost weight, but didn’t seem completely obsessed with being stick thin, people who seemed to enjoy exercise, people who had realistic perspectives about food.  That inspired me to start tracking my calories with the Lose It! app, and I slowly lost 20 lbs.  In 2014, I was back on the job market and once I found a new job I stopped many of my healthy habits.  I’ve gained back the 20 lbs I lost and then some.  The cycle continues.

Now, I’m looking for more motivation by taking my tracking online with this blog.  Yes, I’m worried about those who will try to discourage me, call me names, engage in the typical Internet trollery.  But, I am also looking forward to connecting with the many wonderful people out there who are sharing advice, inspiration, and motivation out there.  If you are one of the better angels of the Internet, please drop me a line!