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.

Recovering

1/17/2013 WOD:
5 RFT
250 m row
5 push-ups
15 sit-ups
Time: 13:57

After Monday and my continuing foot issues on top of my lingering/possible second cold, I decided to take Tuesday off. However, come Thursday I still hadn't made a 100% recovery but couldn't sit on my ass anymore so I went in and did my own thing that would keep my off my feet and hopefully keep my head clear too. Success!

I forced myself to do all 25 push-ups off my toes with my arms as close to my body as possible. If I'm going to progress, doing them off my knees with my elbows out isn't going to help me any. I also tried to keep my body in a straight line as much as possible. Given that my core isn't the strongest, my belly/lower back dipped a little but by no means was I doing 'the worm.'

I'm still not sure what this sinus mess is I have going on but I am ready to be rid of it. I can't tell if it's the last bit of my cold I scored on New Years Day or if it's a second cold coming in. Either way it's causing way too much sinus pain and needs to exit my head, stat.

And in other news, I'm glad the weekend is 5 short hours away. After a month, I am FINALLY going to see The Hobbit with my dad. Sickness, holidays, and life in general have gotten in the way, but not any more. We are doing this! Of course when it's finally time to go see it Silver Linings Playbook finally comes to town. Damn you award season! Luckily it will be on DVD by next month. I've already waited since mid-November to see it, what's another month, right?

And in doing things for the first time news, I've made a decision to try to cook one new dish each week. Everything so far has been very successful and I would highly recommend all of them. And reading Timothy Ferris' 4-Hour Chef is only making me want to cook more.  Here are the link if you'd like to give them a try yourself.

• Julia Child inspire Coq Au Vin (Made a second time with petit sirloin and it was just as delicious)
• Pan seared chicken in a balsamic cream sauce (My sauce didn't look quite the same but it was mega tasty. We ate it with purple sweet potatoes and it made for great presentation and a yummy side)
• Ultimate Paleo Chili (I didn't cook this but it sure was great and spicy too)
• Spinach Stuffed Chicken (We doctored this one and cooked the bacon first and stuffed in with rest of the mix and also left out the sour cream. We've done it three times now and the last time was the best. Swap the spinach for caramelized onions, you'll be glad you did)
• Homemade sweet potato fries using melted Kerry Gold to coat instead of coconut oil. (A little less oily and the fries crisped a bit more)

On the menu for tonight and the near future. Expect a full report on both very soon. 

• Bacon and Apple Stuffed Pork Chops (Will be served tonight with a side of sauteed zucchini, onions and peppers)
• Braised French Onion Chicken with Gruyere (On the menu very very soon!)

Footies

1/12/2013 WOD:
8 min AMRAP
Do each movement to fatigue
Walking Lunges
Push-ups (knee)
Reps: 201

1/14/2013 LP:
Back Squat: 110 lbs
Press: 50 lbs
Sprints: 5 x 40 yd

Boy oh boy am I one tired girl! Lunges left my legs and butt sore. Push-ups killed my shoulders and triceps. Thankfully I think tonight's squats and press gave all the sore muscles a good stretch. I also did a few extra hip and hamstring stretches with my warm-up that made a major difference. No hip pain whatsoever during the squats which was fantastic!

I did somehow manage to hurt my foot over the weekend. I'm not exactly sure what caused it but while running errands Saturday afternoon I noticed the outside middle of my left foot was a little sore. As the afternoon and night went on I could hardly put any pressure on it without major pain. I thought it was feeling better yesterday morning but after doing some walking and washing a few trucks I quickly realized it was in my best interest to get off of it. I felt pretty guilty just sitting around while everyone else was hard at work but I really didn't want to do any more damage. I spent last evening barefoot which seemed to help a great deal. Today I just had minor discomfort and decided lifting and sprinting should be okay, however now I'm thinking it was a bad idea. Currently I thinking I'll skip the WOD tomorrow and go vibrams or barefoot the rest of the week to see it if helps speed up the healing process. Fingers crossed it's a minor bruise and will be cured by Thursday.

Other than the foot injury and residual soreness from the workout, my weekend was fantastic. Wonderful weather for January, great weekend with the boyfriends family, amazing night in cooking dinner together Saturday night and catching a movie plus we got to come home to a hopefully soon-to-be-regular weekly family dinner with my family. Oh and I finally got to get the Lululemon pants I had been eyeing for the big Whistler trip. Unfortunately they weren't on sale in the store but I was able to try them on and order them. Thanks mom and dad for the gift card for my birthday!!!

Looking forward, short of the hurt foot, it should be a really great week! Taking on some new-ish responsibilities at work, starting planning for the Mt. Mitchell bucket list hike, hopefully finally getting to see The Hobbit with my dad and of course a good workout here and there.

Skip to my Lulu

1/10/2013 WOD:
21-15-9
Kettlebell Swings (26 lb)
Burpees
Buy out: 1 mile run
Time: 18:23

Everyone was complaining about the burpees when they saw the WOD on the board today, but I already knew the mile run would be the death of me. Especially after having just finished 45 KB swings and burpees. That first 1/4 mile was pure torture. My legs didn't want to move. I couldn't control my breathing. My arms felt like they weight 800 lbs. It was just bad. Shortly after making the turn on the second 1/4 I started to get a good rhythm going with my pace and my breathing. I just wanted it to be over as quickly as possible.

I am more than ready for free week to be over with and to start using weights in the workouts again. It can get pretty brutal!

Heading back to Raleigh for the weekend with the boyfriend! I'm looking forward to it since the initial nerves will have passed and I know what I'm getting into when it comes to washing the trucks. Plus the weather is supposed to be amazing so I can't complain a bit about spending the morning outdoors in January. AND I get go to Lululemon and hopefully purchase a new pair of pants I have been eyeing for CrossFit and the trip to Whistler. Fingers crossed they're everything I've imagined!

D.N.F.

1/8/2013 WOD:
4 RFT
75 Sit-ups
50 yd Bear Crawl
400 m run
Time: DNF (1 round complete)

It took me 6 months, but I got my first DNF for a WOD. Thankfully it wasn't for lack of ability or strength, but because I couldn't stop coughing. I came back in after my run, walked right up the the trainer and said I was finished. He was actually happy I was stopped and recognized it was in my best interest to stop. I'll take a rest day today as previously planned and give it another shot tomorrow night. Hopefully by then the gunk in my lungs will be gone!

After Christmas and my birthday I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things as far as eating goes. Most of my meals are still paleo/primal, but I just can't cut the sugar cravings after overdoing it these last few weeks. Hopefully going out of town this weekend and having a good 48 hours without things easily in my reach will get me over the initial hump and back on the road to normalcy. Fingers crossed!

We're famous!

1/7/2012 LP:
Back Squat: 105 lbs
Press: 50 lbs
Sprint: 10 x 40 yds

First regular lifting Monday in a few weeks. It was great to get back to the routine! The squat felt much heavier than I was anticipating. especially since I was up 15 lbs just a few weeks back. I think I may have rushed my stretching just a bit, lesson learned. Press was a good bit harder at 50 lbs and left my wrists a bit achy, but hopefully after a few weeks at that weight I'll be able to progress and PR at 55 lbs. First night in a few weeks sprinting again because of rain and other things but it felt great. Happy to have it back in the program again!

It's free week again at PDCF and even though I've tried I cannot get a single new person to join me for a class. I did notice a one or two new faces last night in the class among all the regulars. I'm thinking our gym won't see the huge influx of people like most gyms do at the start of the year. I'd have to say most of our folks are pretty great about coming weekly and not fading out. I love that!

One last note about my beloved gym. Bree Boyce is a local girl who has had to deal with weight issues her entire life. She finally committed to getting healthy and went on to win Miss South Carolina in 2011. She was feature on 20/20 last week about maintaining her weight loss and continuing to stay active and healthy. In the feature she was shown working out and training another former beauty queen at PDCF. It's super fun seeing our place on TV!

Onward and upward

1/5/2013 WOD:
8 min AMRAP
3 Push-Press (50 lb)
5 KB Slams (26 lb)
Rounds: 8

This was my first almost DNF (did not finish) workout and I still didn't complete all of it. I'm recovering from a cold and thought I was feeling up for it when 2 minutes in my throat was on fire. I opted to continue but got water after every round and took my time. After the AMRAP we were supposed to do a 6 x 25 yd prowler push at 115 lbs but I just knew the cold weather would send me over the edge so I opted to be a cheerleader instead.

As the day went on it just got better and better. The college kid and I did some clearance shopping after the WOD and hung out for the first time in days. I'm so sad she's about to head back to school for another semester! Boyfriend came over for the first of a few surprises to bring me a great plant he had gotten me for my birthday then we took his pup for a long walk. And the night capped off with a birthday dinner that boyfriend totally arranged with my family and friends at my most favorite local pizza place. I knew he had planned dinner but the location was a surprise. Even crazier was that he's pretty strict with his paleo lifestyle so he hadn't had pizza in about two years and hadn't had any sweets or baked goods since August and he indulged in both for my birthday festivities. I had such a great time with everyone and was totally worth the extra sore throat from laughing/coughing so much with everyone. Wonderful way to spend my last night at 28 and to bring in 29.

And a BIG happy birthday to little baby Roma! You're 4 years old now but I have a feeling I'll always call you baby Roma. You were an impulse decision I regretted for a good solid week but life just wouldn't have been the same without you in it. Your big sister Beane and I just can't get enough of your cuddles.

So far 29 is off to a fantastic start (cupcake for breakfast...hello, can't beat that!) and I know this year is just going to continue to get better!

Great programming

1/1/2013 LP:
Back Squat: 100 lb
Press: 45 lb

1/1/2013 WOD:
4 RFT
5 Negative Pull-ups
20 yd OH Walking Lunges (10 lb)
5 push-ups (2 rounds on knees)
20 sit-ups
Time: 17:30

It's nice knowing someone with a key to the gym! I started out 2013 by moving a little weight around and working on a few things I'd like to master sooner than later.

After doing the lighter squat on Saturday I decided to start my progression back a few lbs and spend a few weeks progressing again to my goal weights. I think this will help me ultimately reach my next goal  of 135 and doing it much more comfortably. Next week I'll also be going back up to 50 lbs on the press for a few weeks. I'm enjoying the slower progress on the press and I can really tell I'm benefiting from it.

Knowing I wanted to get in three CF workouts this week and wanted some good rest days, I decided to come up with one on my own to do after I lifted. Already at the gym with the place mostly to yourself, why not take advantage of it, right? I decided to do lower number reps for pull-ups and push-ups and try to focus on getting better at them. I did negative pull-ups, which means I jumped up above the bar and lowered myself slowly. Doing negatives helps strengthen the muscles needed to do proper pull-ups so I'm going to be sneaking them in when possible as my goal for my first pull-up is April. As far as the push-ups I wanted to try to do as many as I could in proper form instead of from my knees. I made it through the first two rounds but couldn't get myself off the ground after that. It's going to take some work to get more proficient at push-ups!

Want to hear a funny story? I came up with my little WOD laying in bed yesterday morning knowing it was things I wanted to focus on. Got that, completely on my own I came up with it having never done anything similar. So at about 10 am a few people showed up at the gym meeting one of our trainers who came in for them even though we were closed. I had finished lifting and was about to go start my WOD just before they got started. It crossed my mind to see what they had on the board to see if I wanted to jump in instead of what I had planned.

Their WOD was the following:
4 RFT
200 m plate run
8 pull-ups
14 yd OH Walking Lunges
20 Push-ups
24 Sit-ups

The numbers might not be quite right, but pretty close. Other than the run and reps it's exactly what I had planned. Same order too! Guess I might be decent at programming, but I won't go sign up to get CrossFit certified just yet.

Just like New Years day, New Years Eve was splendid! Nice quiet night in with a fantastic dinner of brined pork chops, cooked apples, and sauteed veggies. And was even able to see the ball drop even though I've been cable free for well over a year. The magic of the internet is wonderful!

Looking forward to a fantastic 2013 and scratching items off my turning 30 bucket list!