We make time for the things that are important to us;

we make excuses for the things that aren’t.

Op SUNSHINE Day 2. Snatch the morning. Social Media Analysis. Finishing the day at CrossFit Watford.

Flash WOD

Op SUNSHINE Index Day 2

Feeling very positive from the off today. Holding myself to account like this, knowing that I have to report my ‘sunshine levels’ has been a real incentive to look out with a far more positive demeanour. Work has thrown up its usual chaotic challenges and I’ve been careful to respond accordingly; where a quite acceptable ‘rebuke’ might have been the order of the day 48hrs ago, today it’s been a genuinely happy laugh, a handshake and a note to just move on. Being upset over something didn’t make the outcome any different to being happier but it means I return to my desk in a better frame of mind to carry on with my colleagues. In turn, they don’t see me being a douche about something and engage me more – it’s a win, win situation, of course. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not been easy. One particular situation appeared that warranted a little blind fury and a slap but actually it was beyond my control and better left laughed at.

Let me introduce Chilli, Tom & Spike. Chilli is a powerful little sucker, producing some of the hottest, fresh chillis I’ve ever had the pleasure of throwing in my dinner. Tom has positively shot up in the last few weeks, from a yellowing, withered outdoor plant feeling sorry for itself to a bush in my own room! Yielding close to 50 tomatoes at this time, he’s producing quite the tastiest cherry tomatoes going. As for Spike, well, don’t get on the wrong side of him and keep one eye open at all times else he’s be known to get you! I’ll be honest, I love the company!

Snatch in the Morning

Up at 0600, mixed nuts washed down with glugs of water and a jog over to CF NWD. Meeting up with a buddy en route, we charged in to the facility to take our positions. He’s on a bit of a rehab stint at the minute and so is focusing on bodyweight movements and light kettlebells. I, however, eyed that barbell with a view to throwing it above my head in as efficient and powerful a means as possible! The Snatch. Warming up through 5 x 40kg to warm up, I was feeling pretty good. My 1RM remains at 75kg for now and so my aim for the morning periods is to hang around the 65kg mark by the end. Incorporating an overhead squat after each one, I really wanted to get maximum value from my 30 mins.

1 x Snatch + Overhead Squat.

50 / 50 / 50 / 55 / 55 / 60 / 60 / 65 / 65 / 65 / 65kg

I failed at 65kg just prior to the final one. This was because of a change to technique (no idea why) and not fatigue. Indeed, I approached the bar immediately and executed a great Snatch plus Overhead Squat to finish.

Social Media Analytics

My job is about understanding and messaging audiences. It’s about getting a message to individuals and groups in the most suitable means to achieve the desired behavioural outcome. As such, I spend a little of my time using social media analytical tools in order to better increase the message resonance (getting it to a bigger audience who might actually read it!). There are a few good tools out there but one I would like to mention is Social Mention. Appearing as a search engine, input the subject that you are most interested in and it scours social media outlets for ongoing activity, keywords, hashtags and sentiment. It is particularly useful for Twitter users but has great utility elsewhere too. BuzzSumo is another strong tool, although you only get 14 days free trial. Buzzsumo looks at ‘Most Shared’, ‘Trending Now’, “Content Analysis” and more. Worth a look to increase your own audience base. I’ll admit that it is working for me in conjunction with other strong media engagement strategies.

What methods are you using to increase your audience reach?

Evening Session

Bulgarian Split Squats…….YES!!!!! With 2 x 24kg!! 4 rounds of 6 per leg baby!! BIG LEGS!

….and a big, pointy nose.

Pictures always look better with a child-sized, practically spray-painted-on t-shirt 😉

MetCon

Tasty!! Heavy Power Cleans and Pull Ups. I only went and completed all four rounds in 11 mins 28 seconds! Like a man possessed, I pushed myself through this. Every pause was met with positive self-talk, not whiney whinge face. Power Cleans were done in 4+2 for the first round, sets of 2 for second and third, with 2+2+1+1 for the final one. Pull Ups were sets of 6 for the first 3 rounds (all butterfly kip) and 6+4+4+4+3+3 for the final round…..but I kept pressing ahead. Fastest Masters time on the board today and second fastest overall…..behind an absolute monster of an Italian, called Emi. Well played, Sir!

Nutrition

Pre-WOD: 10g mixed Nuts
Breakfast: 1min Banana & Nut Butter Protein Cake + 200ml Whole Mlik
Lunch: grilled Chicken Wrap & tonnes of salad (oil/vinegar dressing)
Snacks: 15g mixed Nuts
Post-WOD: 25g MyProtein Impacy Whey + 25g dried Skimmed Milk Powder Shake
Dinner: Rice, fresh chilli, fresh tomato, BBQ chicken pieces + whole milk

So, that’s me for today, I hope you enjoyed today’s log, legends of the blogosphere. Don’t be afraid to send in questions, suggestions for things you want me to chat about and just a general hello!