Freedom!!!

I should start at the beginning....

Over the last few months, if not years, I have been growing increasingly tired of Facebook and what it's become. At first it was a neat way to keep up and share your life with people who you didn't see as often or wouldn't have necessarily kept up with at all. You knew what was going on in the lives of those you went to high school or college with. Or were able to see what family members across the country were up to. 

Then came the privacy issues. Facebook seemed manipulative and sketchy. Trying to make everything you did public no matter how private you wanted to keep your profile and activity. 

Next came the ads and games. Constantly being bombarded with who was playing what no matter how many times you opted out of game news in your feed. And the ads letting you know that your friends 'liked' everything under the sun! And that having a favorite band or movie, which Facebook suggested you list in your info, meant you 'liked' them and always wanted to know what was going with those topics. 

And then at some point things really changed! No longer were people sharing their experiences, photos of their vacations or the news that they'd landed a new job or were having a baby. Now the only thing people seemed interested in sharing with their 'friends' were their opinions on who you should vote for, how you should feel about gun laws, asinine e-cards about how women can't do anything in life at all without a glass of wine and of course the posts that if you don't immediately copy and share indicate to the world that you don't care about childhood illnesses/a God/ puppies/dying people in underprivileged communities/etc. 

I finally couldn't take it anymore and was over it! I decided that for the next month I was going to deactivate my account and see what life was like Facebook free. Anxious to see how I spend the extra free time at work. Curious to see if I am still in the loop with my close friend and families lives. It's going to be an interesting experiment for sure. And if all goes as planned, come March 1st I'll head back to Facebook, reactivate my account long enough to delete every last bit of my information then permanently delete my account for good.

All this said I'm not ready to drop all 'social networking' outlets. I very much enjoy the simplicity and freedom Twitter provides in 140 characters or less. And as a Google slut, of course I'm a big fan of the growing community in Google plus. I realize Google plus is ultimately the same concept as Facebook, however it's cleaner, simpler, and not preachy (yet!). And the circles are swell! 

We'll see how this next month goes and what decision is made come March 1st! 

Puppy Fever

1/26/2013 WOD:
12 Min AMRAP (1 min work, 1 min rest)
3 Power Cleans (45 lb)
3 Push Press (45 lb)
3 Front Squat (45 lb)
Rounds: 10

One month later and I managed to squeeze out one more full round! I love progress!!!! I did this workout last month with the boyfriend one Saturday morning and we decided we'd repeat it for 3 months as a benchmark. Success! Can't wait to see if I improve again next month or if I up the weight.

Had yet another fantastic weekend! Went into it with no major plans with is always a great way to spend the weekend. Got in another successful puppy play date with my girls and the boyfriend's doggy. They're making a lot of progress and my anxiety level has dropped drastically because of it.

Made the stuffed zucchini on Friday night for dinner and while it wasn't bad it wasn't anything I'm dying to make again. The filling was delicious but the zucchini's were just too soft. I think next time I'll try baking them first then stuffing. The filling would also be delicious stuffed in a pepper. Here's the mix I came up with if you're curious to replicate:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb hot breakfast sausage
• 1 egg
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• S & P
• Top with pepper jack cheese

This weekend also marked the start of scratching items off my bucket list! First up is a monthly list item. I'd like to do one act of kindness each month. Getting hooked on the puppy bowl locker room feed  prompted the thought of doing something with my favorite local organization the Florence Area Humane Society. It was decided that I would go out there, choose a slightly order dog that has been there for a little longer and pay his or her adoption fees. So out I went! I haven't been to the new facility since the big move last year. I wandered around and choose Minnie a black and grey medium sized mix who had been there since October. My only regret is that I didn't leave contact information because I'd love to know when she gets adopted! Guess it's time to start thinking about what to do next month. 

Game plan

1/24/2013 WOD:
10 min AMRAP
5 Back Squat (95 lb)
50 Single Unders
5 Strict Push-ups
Rounds: 5

Over the last few months the 5:30 class at my gym has been growing. And growing. It's great having new folks join in on the fun and getting hooked like the rest of us. Because of the growth, the amount of space we have and the limited number of bars/plates/ab mats/etc we sometimes have to do two or three heats for the WOD  Normally its by who was there earliest unless someone really needs to leave quick. Fortunately it hasn't caused any major issues that I've seen. In addition to the growth in class, when we had free week a few weeks back the trainers tried to get everyone to warm up together at 5:30 instead of individually as you came in. It's smart because it insures everyone warms up and starts everyone working together.

Add these things together and you have a 5:30 class that isn't getting warmed up until 5:35 because of the last minute folks and usually isn't getting started until 5:45, 5:50 or later. And if you're in the second heat you might not start until after 6. While I don't mind being up at PDCF and go almost as much for the people as I do for the hard work, if I'd like to get make the most of my time, be efficient and get home at a decent time after a long day at work.

All this said I've been less excited to go in and do the WOD with the group. I've been doing a few on my own, lifting extra in place of the WOD or all together making up an excuse for not going in. I've decided until they implement a 4:30 class (which is rumored) or go back to individual warm-ups so class can start closer to 5:30 like it used to, that of my three WOD day's I'll only be doing one with the class and will be doing two on my own. I realize I probably wont be pushed quite as hard this way, but I'll still be moving and getting stronger. Plus I can tailor it to things I know I need to work on if I want to make up something on my own.

I fully came to this realization last night and decided to do a workout on my own instead of with the group. Overall I enjoyed it. I still cheered on my fellow 5:30-ers in their WOD and was nearly finished with my workout as they were just getting started. Because I wasn't 'running behind' was able to work on a few other things like negative pull-ups. I'll test it out for a few weeks and see how it feels. If I really miss my class time I'll just suck it up and deal with the late nights.

Side note: This week's new addition to the menu is stuffed zucchini's. I've combined a few recipes to come up with my own concoction. I'll find out in a few short hours if it's a hit or miss. Fingers crossed!

Weaklings

1/21/2013 LP:
Back Squat: 115 lbs
Press: 50/45 lbs
Sprints: 10 x 30 yd

My new stretches are making a world of difference! The squat was heavy last night but it felt lighter on my back and I was able to a lower depth than when I did 115 a few weeks back. I'm eager to hit 120 again next week and start the progression again.

My press is a different story. Too much work on my shoulders this weekend left them in pain. I pushed out the first set at 50 lbs but had to move back down to 45 for the last two. Even that was a struggle. Damn you shoulder weakness!

Changed up the sprints and just did 30 yards instead of the usual 40. No really good reason for it other than to do something different. I enjoyed it and felt like I still got just as much out of it.

Due to the remaining shoulder pain I'm taking tonight off and possibly going back in tomorrow for the WOD.  Give those weaklings a rest for the night! Guess it's time I start doing strict push-ups at home to keep the soreness at bay.

Rinse and repeat

1/19/2013 WOD:
4 RFT
5 Pull-ups (Negatives)
20 yd OH Walking Lunges (10 lb)
5 Push-ups (2 rounds on knees)
20 sit-ups
Time: 11:39

Holy PR batman! I did this workout on my own just a few weeks ago and my time was just over 17 minutes. Granted I didn't really have my 'stations' set-up, but still, I cut a huge amount of time off! It's going to be a benchmark WOD for me for the next two months or so. I'm looking forward to seeing how the negatives help my pull-ups and how my time improves.

This weekend was fantastic! I got one of my pups, the more protective one, together with the boyfriends pup  on Saturday and Sunday for a walk and play-date. I was shocked and thrilled to see her walk right next to him with zero anxiety or aggression just a few steps into the walk. I can't wait for them to be besties! Next weekend we'll bring in my other pup and see how it goes with the three of them. Hopefully my overly protective girl will co-mingle well again.

Not much new on the agenda this weekend. The apple, bacon and onion stuffed pork chops turned out well. Though I think they would be just as good by getting thinner cut chops and spooning the apple mix on top instead of stuffing. Can't see that it would make any difference.