Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Bike Collector

I started the day with zero bicycles and no intention of getting any.

Somehow I ended the day with two bikes.

And I’m still not biking to work tomorrow.

That is mainly because I don’t know if I would even make it on the bike that works. Who knew bikes without gears were so tough to ride? I’m going to have to build up to that since taking so much time off biking has left me as a total pansy.

Other things I collected today: tiredness and headaches.

Goodnight.

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Back on the BikeBike Ride To BotanyGood Thing I Like To BikeFirst Bike Ride Of 2011Bike Ride To The Airport

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yurbuds Ironman Inspire Pro Sport Earphones – Review

Jen wearing Yurbuds Ironman Inspire Pros LOVE these!

I have no patience sometimes. There are times when I really want something, like have to have it now, and even though my birthday is in a month, I just can’t wait to try out something new. Well, that was me this past week.

You all know I have been wanting to try out the yurbuds Inspire Pro headphones. I LOVE the Inspires I have been using but my biggest complaint was no microphone. I even hinted to family that I wanted a pair of Pro’s for my birthday. Well…my birthday came early and I bought them for myself. AND…let me just tell you…

I LOVE THEM!!!!!!

Holy cow I love them. I didn’t think I could love a pair of headphones more than the Inspires but I DO! It is what I love about the Inspires but so much more!!!!

All I was hoping for was a pair that had a microphone so I could talk on the phone while running or talk to Siri to have her text for me, hands free (It’s that whole, don’t text while walking thing!). Well, these certainly do that and more! Here are the awesome things about these headphones.

Amazing Earbuds – Same earbuds as the Inspire’s that DON”T FALL OUT because of their twist-lock technology! Love that!Comfortable – They are also super comfy – I can’t even tell I have them in except I hear music!Sweat and Water Resistant - No matter how much I sweat, I can really get a good workout and they stay in without slipping out.Microphone – YEAH!!!! I can not only talk on the phone but I can talk to Siri (on my i-Phone 4S and she can text for me!).  I have used the microphone several times in the past few days and everyone I am talking to can hear my nice and clearly! Another bonus!Volume Control – No matter what music you are listening to, you can turn the volume up and down with just a click of the dry mic that is dangling on your chest.Music Control – This was a complete surprise and something that I adore about these yurbuds headphones. You can skip songs, pause songs, or rewind songs with just a few clicks of the mic. One click stops/starts the song and answers or hangs up the phone. Two clicks will skip a song and go to the next one. Three clicks will go back to the beginning of the song you are listening to. I was concerned that it would only work with the i-Pod built into my phone but it worked great with Spotify (the only way we listen to music at my house!) and I am assuming with Pandora or any other way you listen to music.Cute – These are super cute and come in two color choices, white or red and black.  I bought the white ones just so it would match my outfits but the red and black look killer!

I can’t imagine these earphones ever disappointing me. They truly have it all. I am so glad that I started with the yurbuds Ironman Inspire’s just so I can appreciate the “extras” these have to offer. As much as I loved the Inspires, I love these even more. They are worth the extra money if you want the added features of music control and a microphone to talk on, hands free!

Do you LOVE the headphones you are currently using?  If not, just wait.  I have an awesome giveaway coming on Wednesday so you too can love the headphones you are using!  Are you excited?!?

Yurbuds Inspire Pros yurbuds Inspire Pros

Photo Credit

Avatar of Jennifer Swafford

My name is Jennifer, I’m 33 and I currently live in a suburb outside of Atlanta. I live with my husband, Jason and Shi-tzu, Maggie. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
My full time job is teaching elementary school. My part time job is private tutoring after school for grades K-6. I have been on my weight loss journey my entire life but just began to take it seriously two years ago when I decided it was time to start a family. I didn’t want to be one of those people who others look and and say, “Is she pregnant or just really fat?” At the rate I was going, that question would certainly be asked. So, two years ago I joined Weight Watchers. Now, closing in on losing 100 pounds, my life is healthier and I am happier. Now…bring on the baby!
My blog is here for you to be inspired, learn something new, and hear all about all new products I try. Join me on this weight loss journey as I go through ups and downs, good and bad, and continue to take it one day at a time!


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Friday, May 11, 2012

Life In The Office

This is me.

Today. And all week.

Being back in the office is fun but it’s a whole different lifestyle than living in New Zealand and working from home. There is definitely a lot more sitting. When I’m at home I’m usually standing to work a lot more than I do here since we are in an open office work environment and it’s just a bit weird.

I’m trying to stay healthy despite my increase amount of sitting.

I’m drinking more water. See that bottle in the photo? It’s big and I drink a couple of those a day.We walk at lunch. It is awesome to have a couple coworkers who like getting out of the office for a short stroll.I’ve brought my lunch multiple days! Saving money and being healthy all at the same time. Win.

I’ve also been crazy busy at work.  That means doing the normal things like writing articles about social media and the more fun things like playing with our office dog.

That’s Sophie! She is the cute little furbaby of a coworker. She is spending the morning at the office and it’s so fun to watch her run around. She makes me miss JuJu even more!

Back to work for me now. I’ll be back at some point soon to share about the food truck rally that happened in Memphis yesterday at lunch. I love food trucks so the fact that Memphis has a food truck scene now makes me super happy. Post coming soon, I promise!

Do you work in an office? How do you stay healthy?

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Simple Changes in Lifestyle to Achieve Weight Loss

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Guest Post Written by Sachin

Losing weight seems a humungous task for somebody who has just started in this direction. During the initial days one looks for various options available on the net that suits them and there is also a tendency to look out for easy ways to achieve weight loss. There are some who start off with a strict weight loss regimen which they are not able to handle after some days or weeks. This result in reverting back whatever benefit was gained with respect to weight loss. There are some simple weight loss tips which if practiced may help in bringing about significant benefits. Some of these have been discussed below.

Serving in smaller plates and bowls greatly helps in reducing the portion size of the food you consume. A three ounce serving on a big plate looks small, but the same serving on a small plate looks larger.

Positive Changes in Life to Control Weight

It has been found that when you sleep six hours or less before starting your day, the tired body craves sugary or high carbohydrate foods to restore the energy it lacks. Doctors from the University of Chicago studied two hormone levels, ghrelin and leptin, in 12 healthy males while monitoring the men’s appetites and activity levels. When the men received less sleep their leptin levels decreased and ghrelin levels increased. Their appetites were significantly larger, resulting in a 45% increased demand for carbohydrates and other high-calorie foods. Thus, providing sufficient rest to the body helps in avoiding cravings for sugary foods.

Exercise smart instead of hard. Walking helps in diminishing “bad cholesterol”, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) while increasing “good cholesterol”, high-density lipoprotein (HDL). It reduces blood pressure and also helps in enhancing mood. Jogging, running and bicycling are high-impact exercises. Start with a few minutes of stretching and then preferred exercise at least 3 days a week. The length of workout should be increased gradually over time.
lifestyle changes Simple Changes in Lifestyle to Achieve Weight Loss
In a weight loss regimen rewards have a significant role to play. For instance, if you are sacrificing three of your favorite junk foods or candies out of your diet plan, set aside a day when you reward your efforts by eating one of those three foods.

According to researchers some spices like cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, garlic powder, oregano and rosemary have positive benefits on the metabolism of the body.

Hormones, like adrenalin and CRH, are released when you’re too stressed, decreasing your appetite for a short time. This is known as the “fight or flight” response, but when the stressors are events that one can neither fight nor avoid and then you tend to eat more.

In contrast to chicken skin, which contains 30% of the fat that poultry has, edible fruit skins contain most of the nutrients of the fruit. Some of these are blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, prunes, and some others.

Time Management: A Boon to your Life Style

Time management is an often overlooked aspect when going on a weight loss regimen. Planning ahead for the time dedicated for exercise and other important work greatly helps in sustaining your weight loss efforts.

Keeping the kitchen stocked up with fruits, vegetables, healthy meats, grains, cereals, spices, and other relevant items encourages healthy cooking. Apart from these eating healthy home cooked meals is a great way to avoid excess calories which come along with packaged meals and other junk foods.  Whether it’s you who’s cooking, a family member, or house help, one must ensure that every one practices healthy cooking methods, and ingredients. Using less oil, low salt, fresh produce, start showing their results in no time.

Thus if one adheres to these simple weight loss tips one can not only bring about positive changes in one’s lifestyle but also be more healthy and fit.

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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Awesome Weekend

My weekend started on Friday with Friday Funday!

Friday, after a morning meeting the entire office headed out for an early lunch out in East Memphis. We had a choice of where to eat between a deli and tacos. Of course, I chose tacos.

It was my first time eating at Swanky’s Taco Shop. I ordered crunchy chicken tacos.

tacos

They were nice but not the best tacos I’ve ever had. Maybe I should have eaten them slower. I couldn’t though because our office field trip continued… with a movie!

Yep, we went to see the new Avengers movie. Sometimes it’s nice working with a bunch of geeks. ;) I really enjoyed the movie – it was quite funny! After the movie half the office went home and the rest of us grabbed some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream before parting ways back at the office.

Saturday was a busy day for me. I hit up Walmart for some needed supplies like contact solution and then visited some thrift stores for new clothes.

I love thrift stores both for the price and the randomness of the selection. Sometimes I’ll go shopping and find nothing I like and sometimes I’ll leave things at the store I wish I could have bought. It just depends on how lucky I get. This particular shopping trip was extremely lucky because I finally found a maxi dress I liked!

maxi dress

It’s a bit long on me because I’m a shorty but I love it. It’s so vibrant and the colors are awesome. It’s not really anything special but after a long search for a dress I both liked and could afford I’m happy to have found it!

Sunday was spent doing absolutely nothing for the most part. I’ve been a lazy bum to be honest. The two productive things I’ve done were reading the Rebel Strength Guide because I’m thinking about actually doing one of Nerd Fitness’s guides all the way through and cooking some food for the rest of the week.

I’m trying to combat my new tendency to eat out every day (sometimes multiple times a day) since I’ve been here. Maybe having food ready and portioned out will help me make some better choices this week. My body needs a break from the sodium and calorie overload from eating out so much. We will see!

How was your weekend? Have a great week!

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Good News Wednesday

I started today planning to do a What I Ate Wednesday post. Then I was going to do a Wordless Wednesday post. Instead I’m just going to share the pictures from today and then tell you the good news at the end. Feel free to scroll down immediately.

Photo 4

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Photo 7

Photo 5

Photo 6

Photo 3

My day looks so much cooler through a bunch of overly processed photos. I see why people like Instagram so much. ;)

So the good news of the day is that my mom’s appointment with her radiation oncologist went well! Since she caught the tumor early it’s only dime sized and she is a great candidate for a simpler surgery and faster radiation. Both of those are outpatient and she doesn’t need any chemo. Hurray!

Basically she got the best prognosis possible in this kind of situation which is a huge relief. Of course this is all dependent on the tumor actually being what they think and no deal breakers popping up, but it’s good news to hear. We were already both feeling pretty positive about the situation which seemed to shock the oncologist. He was super positive (which is good) but it felt like he was doing that to cheer up my mom who was already upbeat about things. It was funny. Anyway, everyone is encouraged and feeling good about the treatment situation which will begin at some point this month with surgery.

It’s still the beginning of this process but it looks like it won’t be as bad as it could be. There will be more doctor bills and the next two months won’t be super pleasant for my mom with the treatments but all things considered that is some great news to hear. Thank you all again for your support!

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It Sux To Be Fat Update

I just wondered how you are and if you miss me at all because I miss you A lot! Missing You

I’ve been missing.

I hope you noticed because that means you read my posts on a regular basis.

For the past week, my husband has been working very hard on switching It Sux To Be Fat over to a new server.  In order for this process to go smoothly, I had to NOT post.  It has been very hard for me to not post updates on my weekly weigh in, how my eating is going, new goals for the month, about an important doctor visit and new things I have found.  However, the new server space is going to be so much faster and make navigating through the blog much easier.

So, please be patient and we will reward your patience with a very cool giveaway.  Thank you for your patience and understanding as we improve the site to make it easier for you!

You can stay in contact with me on Facebook.

Photo Credit

Vacation UpdateHalf-Marathon Training – {Update}

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