FFC fit study follow up!

Today was a great day!!  

I began the morning doing a little soul searching and think I've stumbled upon a new positive outlook on life and some pretty amazing goals to reach along the way.

This evening I had my exit interview from the 3 week fitness study to analyze my results and test to see if I accomplished my short-term fitness goals...  Well great news!! I improved all tests by MORE than I had initially set out to do.  My mile time improved by 1:15, I increased my sit-ups by more than 50% and was able to do more push ups than I ever thought physically possible.  

After we re-tested all of the entrance exercises, we met with a representative from the club and discussed various membership options.  We also provided feedback on our experience throughout the fitness program.

Overall, I had an extremely positive experience and would recommend the study to friends if the club were to offer it again.  Even though there isn't a drastic change in my appearance, I feel more in shape and overall healthier than when we started.

I think to join I will really need to incorporate this into my life and make it part of my weekly routine.  With the fit study we were encouraged to participate in at least 4 workouts per week.  If I decide to join the gym, I would strive to maintain the same weekly frequency.  There is also an FFC just down the street from my apartment, so that's an added plus!

Closing thoughts on this post: Continue to set goals for yourself no matter how big or small they might be.  Having something to work toward will only continue to build and shape yourself into the person you want to be.

Revenge Addict

After my brother Charlie set us up with a temporary Netflix account, I immediately got hooked on Revenge.  I know I am a little late to jump on the Revenge bandwagon, but starting a new show in the middle of a season is never appealing to me, so without the ability to start from the beginning I had no interest in watching.  I can now say that I watched 44 episodes in only 21 days... yes there were several Revenge marathons during the last 3 weeks where I would watch anywhere from 6-10 episodes throughout the day.  I'm not proud of this by any means, but can describe it only as how a drug addict must feel toward their poison of choice...yes you read that correctly, I just compared myself to a drug addict.

That being said, I am now counting down the days until the season 3 premiere on September 29!!  One concern is that I will no longer be able to go on Revenge binges by watching multiple episodes in one sitting.  Instead I will have to wait a WEEK in between episodes...another concern is that Revenge airs on Sunday nights... which unfortunately interferes with the NFL, and living with a football fanatic will be interesting to see who gets to the remote first.  Needless to say, I would be willing to DVR Revenge and then watch the following day, but then there's Monday night football.. it's never ending.  This will be a LONG fall.

Favorites collage

Fall is back!!!

Had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season this morning and it was GREAT!!  It was the perfect start to my morning despite the fact that the projected high is 94 today, my office building is closer to 60 which made my decision to opt for the hot fall beverage seem appropriate.

Apparently this week is the last of the hot weather here in Chicago, so as the temperatures begin to dip, thought I would share a quick an easy crock pot recipe for a tasty fall football treat.

3-Ingredient Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

1. 1(1) 2lb. pork tenderloin
2. 2(1) 12 ounce can of root beer
3. 3BBQ sauce of your choice

Directions:

1. 1Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker and pour the can of root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until pork shreds easily with a fork.
2. 2After pork has cooked, drain and discard the root beer. Shred the pork and place it back in the slow cooker. Pour the barbecue sauce over the pork and stir to combine. Serve immediately or keep warm in slow cooker until ready to serve. Serve on hamburger buns.

3 week fitness study at FFC

I just started a FREE fitness study at FFC gym in Lincoln Park.  One of my colleagues mentioned it to me and I was lucky enough to be one of the first 50 participants to sign up and get accepted into the program.  

Basically you get full access to the FFC gym and can take as many classes as you would like from today until September 29th (3 weeks).  

Yesterday we had orientation which consisted of a basic fitness test and tour of the gym.  The trainers divided us into groups and explained the requirements of the study and also recorded our weight, mile time, and # of sit-ups/push-ups during one minute intervals.

At the end of the study, we will go through the same fitness test to determine our progress.  FFC is hoping that the results will be positive and will reinforce the effectiveness of their classes.  It is suggested to participate in 4 classes of our choice each week.

I plan on taking full advantage of this opportunity and will try to attend as many classes as possible.  In addition to the workouts, I plan on eating healthy for the next 3 weeks and cutting out all dessert :(  This is not going to be easy, but luckily I have 4 friends participating in the study and will hopefully lean on them when I need motivation.

I will report back in 3 weeks and let you all know how it turned out...stay tuned!

Petition to Amend the Trademark Opposition Process

Please take 30 seconds of your time & sign this petition to reform the patent and trademark opposition process.  My brother put 2 years of his heart & soul into a start-up company he built from the ground up, only to have it crushed by a multi-billion dollar company claiming trademark infringement.  There is something wrong with our system if he cannot even defend himself because of limited funds with no guarantee of legal restitution if he wins.

Link to petition:
United States Patent & Trademark Office: Amend the trademark opposition process

For the full account of this story please visit my brother's blog:
Square Inc. Files 12th Opposition, Ends Indy’s Free Squarejive App in Federal Court