I shall picture them in underwear...

What have I gotten myself in to now!?!?

I don't do well in front of crowds. Or surrounded by people I don't know, or who I haven't gotten a chance to grow comfortable with.

Making a speech at my bestfriends wedding 6 years ago, I was literally knocking my knees together underneath my (thankfully!) very long dress; or the time I was doing a presentation in front of my high school french class, I giggled so uncontrollably that my teacher kicked me out of the room. Even presenting new items at work is a bit of a challenge sometimes as I sit at the back of the conference room, willing it to be over already!

How in God's name I'm going to get through this event without peeing my pants is beyond me.

Blog Out Loud Ottawa is a grassroots event that started 3 years ago, that gives amateur writers a chance to share their favourite, or strongest post from the past year. I will be attempting to make my way through an emotionally raw post from the past year, and quite possibly a half a box of Kleenex while I'm at it. To say that I am nervous would simply be a big fat understatement.

When and where?
Thursday, July 7, 2011, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., at The Prescott.
How much does it cost?
It’s free! So now you have no excuses.
Can anyone come, or do you have to be invited?
BOLO is completely open to the public. You don’t have to be a blogger or part of some special club. You just have be interested in hearing some really great writing, and maybe meeting a few cool people.


God knows I am a big believer in support networks...and while there is a part of me that is never very comfortable sharing these things with whoever is out there reading this lil' ol' blog of mine, there is also a part of me that knows what a huge step this is. Because this is me, practicing being brave, laying it out there, feeling-scared-but-doing-it-anyways, and taking yet another brick off that damn wall.

I hope that you are having an AWESOME day!

xoxox
~J

Kickin' it old school...

I realize that I have the help of my trusty BodyBugg to help me kick it old school and count the calories in, versus the calories out...but there are ways you can do this yourself without any gadgets. It's not an exact science, but it is close enough...and it works the same way.

First things first... you have to figure out your base metabolic rate - BMR.



Go to this site: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/


Enter your height, weight, sex and age. It will tell you your current BMR - this is approximately the number of calories you burn just by being alive, breathing, growing hair, blinking, etc... This doesn't take in to account any activity that you may do.


Once you have calculated your BMR, do this:


Harris Benedict Formula


To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:


If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2


If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375


If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55


If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725


If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9


So let's use hypothetical numbers and say that your BMR is somewhere around the 1800 range and if you factor in your moderate level of activity, you may be burning closer to 2500 calories per day.


It takes 3500 calories to lose one lb of fat, so if you want to lose weight at a healthy rate of 1-2 lbs per week, you have to aim for a daily deficit of 500-1000 calories per day.


As for how to calculate what you're taking in? There are 2 sites... myfitnesspal.com or caloriecount.com that I would recommend. And I am pretty sure that myfitnesspal has an iPhone app you can use.

Me? I am going to continue wearing my Bugg...

Now, to get back in the habit of counting those pesky calories....

As always, have an AWESOME day!
xoxox
~J

Life is too short to have regrets...

I was on holidays this past week, and lived every minute exactly how I wanted to, doing whatever I wanted, with who I wanted, when I wanted. I was even spontaneous!!! Wow!!!

My God, I have changed so much....

In years gone by, I would have spent the past week scheduling dates with every last one of my friends, squeezing in lunches, pedicures, bbq's, shopping...trying to make sure I saw everyone, avoiding the outdoors, skipping out on requests to do anything that required much energy, not wanting to hurt anybodies feelings, trying to include everyone, and leaving little to no time for myself.

In years gone by, had someone suggested going to a water park for the day, I would have come up with any number of excuses not to go. Especially if that someone was an attractive male friend. Are you kidding me!?!?! Forget it!!!!

The truth behind the excuses would have been that I didn't want anyone to see me in a swimsuit, that I was way too afraid to try the rides - what if I didn't fit? or there was a weight restriction?, and I would not have wanted to spend $35 to go and sit around all day, sweating to death in the sun but wanting so badly to be taking part in all the fun....letting my weight hold me back.

Not anymore. Because every time I missed out on the fun in the past, I gained weight.


And now every time I gain a fun experience, or a new light bulb moment, I lose another brick on that obscenely large wall I have had around me for so long.

Look, the bottom line is this...I will be honest and fess up that I really do not like my legs, and wish with every fibre of my being that they were shapely and toned and tanned and long enough to make Tyra Banks jealous....but that simply isn't my lot in life.

Maybe someday...after lots more hard work and another 50lbs lost....maybe then I will like them. Maybe a little bit.

But in the meantime, I'll let you in on another little secret of mine... Be prepared, because it's revolutionary.

Life is too damn short to sit on the sidelines because of a set of what you I think are unfortunate, but fully functional!!!, legs. Same goes for wearing tank tops! And sleeveless dresses! And shoes with heels! Life is too short to miss out on spectacular days spent in the water. Soaking up the sun. Laughing till you have tears. With friends. Who love you exactly as you are.

Seriously, I have changed so much.......

I hope that you are having an AWESOME day!

xoxox
~J

Go The Fuck To Sleep....

Because really....it's what I should be doing too....

This was too hilarious not to share.

Wow.

I will write a better post soon...

xoxox
Hope you're awesome!
~Jenn

C'mon....that's just funny....

Have an awesome day!
xoxox

~J

Mama said Knock You Out.

Trainer Mike asked me the other day how I am feeling lately...especially now that I can bench press 50lb dumbells for 3 sets of 10.

How do I feel? I feel strong. And it occured to me last Saturday night as I was walking through downtown alone, and cut through a really dark alley - What would I do if someone jumped out at me right now? How would I handle it?

I'm pretty sure I'd drop my purse and say "I've been waiting for a reason to do this" and then knock that jerk out.

Just sayin'.

Have an AWESOME day!
xoxox
~J