Upper Body Circuit

Here was my routine for today.  

I did not take longer than about 10-15 seconds between exercises ... just long enough to transition to the next move.

Grab a pair heavy and lightweight dumbbells.  I used 20 pounds and 8 pounds.

Start off with the heavy dumbbells, and perform the following ...

-  8 Pushups and immediately transition to 12 chest presses while lying on the floor

-  Stand up and perform the following:  8 weighted hip hinges, followed immediately by 8 rows.

Repeat these circuits.

-  Perform 10 curls followed immediately by 10 tricep extensions followed immediately by 10 overhead presses.

Repeat this circuit.

Grab your lighter set of weights and do the following moves ...

-  8 reps of pressing one weight overhead while raising the other arm out to the side (don't hurt your shoulder by using a weight that is too heavy).  

-  12 reps of bent over fly and front raise combo (do a fly then raise weights straight out in front of you)

-  16 reps of tricep kickbacks (extensions)

Repeat this circuit.

Put the weights down and get on the floor for some ab work.

-  16 crunches

-  16 bicycle crunches

-  8 superman moves

-  hold a plank for 30 seconds

Cool down and stretch.

I've attached some photos as a demonstration of the moves that may be less familiar.  

When doing a hip hinge, it is imperative to keep your back completely straight and lift yourself up using your glute muscles, not your lower back muscles.  You don't want to throw out your back!

Hip Hinge

Overhead Press

Bent over rows

Tricep Extension or Kickback

Encouraged by My Relationship with God: Entrusted with the Gospel

"But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;"  

(Titus 1:3)

The old testament prophets did not know all the specifics of the Messiah's ministry.  The concept of the Church and the Church Age had not been revealed in the olden days.  

The plan of God to bring both Jew and Gentile into the church into one body in Christ (Eph. 2:14, 3:1-6) had not been revealed.  In short, the complete ministry and work of the Messiah had not, previously, been completely and clearly laid out but rather had been revealed in bits and pieces.  

However, now, in the Church Age, God has given forth plainly and boldly the good news of His Son, and this good news was committed unto Paul as well as to you and me.

The verb committed is passive and Paul is the subject while the "which" (referring back to the preaching) is the direct object of the verb.  Paul preached the Gospel because God had charged him personally with the responsibility.  Paul said in another epistle "...for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" (I Cor. 9:16)

I am also responsible to preach the gospel.  I am responsible to let others know about their sins, the penalty for them, God's forgiveness through Christ, and the opportunity to place faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.

My wife and I are planning to get out and meet the neighbors soon.  We are new to the neighborhood, so we decided to get some bags together and place a tract inside along with a small gift as an icebreaker and to show that we care.  If you're looking for a way to get the gospel out and meet someone new, then perhaps this idea will help you.

We found a great tract that matches the season.  On the front, the tract says "the fall," but inside it speaks of the fall of mankind into sin.

God provided dozens of hand soaps through a sale at a store, and on the outside, my wife made a welcome note to introduce us.

Friends, at the least, this will get the gospel into the house of the neighbor, and perhaps it will be read and heeded.  I can't make anyone believe, but I can offer them the truth.

The gospel has been committed unto me according to the commandment of God my Savior.

Protein-Packed Tuna Pasta Salad

Meals like this will make you a lean-mean-machine if you couple them with the right exercise.

I love this meal because of the protein content.  It also doesn't have any "bad" ingredients.  It's healthy and packed with energy.  The calories that it contains are good calories if you use the right pasta.

So here it is... Give it a try!

1.  2 cans of quality tuna

2.  1 cup chopped celery

3.  1 bag of frozen peas thawed

4.  1 cup of avocado oil mayo (use real mayo if you like, we are dairy free)

5.  10 oz. of gluten-free pasta cooked and drained  NOTE:  Here's where it gets tricky.  Use a pasta high in protein.  Don't use a junky white pasta with zero nutritional value.  We use red lentil pasta.  It tastes great and has good texture.  Other pastas with higher protein include chick-pea and bean, but they don't taste as good in this dish for some reason.

6.  1/2 lemon squeezed

7.  1/2 tsp basil that is in a jar or fresh if you like (or pesto)

8.  2 tbsp of olive oil

9.  salt and pepper to taste

Mix up this ingredients and refrigerate.  It's best if served cold.  

If you make 6 servings out of this, the serving calories are 370 (I eat 2 servings per meal).

The protein is 25g/serving if serving six.  If you are working out and trying to get adequate protein, somewhere between 50 and 70 grams per day is good but this could be less if you are less active.

Regardless, this meal makes it easier to get some good protein along with healthy carbs and the benefits of a vegetable (peas).

I enjoy a refuel meal like this after a workout.

I Like Getting HIIT

 HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training, and this method of exercise is one of the best; that's why it's one of my favorite.  

The basic idea is this:  You work at a higher intensity pace for a shorter amount of time and follow it up with a brief rest period prior to moving on to the next exercise.

According to Healthline.com, this type of exercise offers the following advantages:

1.  Burns more calories in a shorter amount of time.  For me, it's nothing to burn 350-400 calories in 20-25 minutes while doing HIIT.  Compare this to a steady pace run that lasts 30 minutes and burns me 250 calories.

2.  Your metabolic rate is higher for hours AFTER the workout.  Who doesn't want to keep burning fat stores after the workout is over? 😄

3.  Helps you lose fat.  This is most effective if you're overweight.

4.  Muscle can be gained.  This can be done using light to moderate weights and bodyweight.

5.  Oxygen consumption can improve.  This is the oxygen that your muscles use.  For me, I notice my breathing and energy improve due to this reality.

6.  Can lower heart rate and blood pressure.  I can personally vouch for this.  My resting heart rate used to be in the 60s, but now it is in the low 50s.  It fluctuates between 52 and 59.  I've noticed that it will be lower the more faithful I am to HIIT exercise.  Also, this exercise coupled with an anti-inflammatory diet has done wonders for the blood pressure.

7.  Blood sugar can be reduced.  I don't have blood sugar issues and don't want them!  Obviously, eating right is a big part of keeping blood sugar in check, but HIIT helps too!

To be clear, I got this info from an article off Healthline.com, but I can personally identify with these claims.

So, how do you accomplish a HIIT workout?  Easy.  Do any combo of exercise that gets your heart pumping and follow it up with just enough rest to catch your breath.  Here's a HIIT routine for you to try ...

Do each exercise for 30 or 40 seconds and follow it up with 30 to 20 seconds of rest.  Repeat this cycle 2 to 3 times or 4 times if you're a BEAST!

1.  Dumbbell Squat

2.  Mountain Climber

3.  Single-arm Dumbbell Swing

4.  T-Pushup

5.  Split Jump

6.  Standing Dumbbell Row

7.  Dumbbell Side Lunge

8.  Pushup Dumbbell Row

9.  Dumbbell Push Press

Encouraged by My Relationship with God: Eternally Secure

  "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;"  (Titus 1:2)

   Paul's hope was real, substantial and unmovable.  The believer's hope, unlike the world's idea of hope, is not an uncertain thing.  A child may say, "I hope I get a puppy for Christmas."  This type of "hope" is more of a wish.  The Christian hope of eternal life is not a wish subject to the whims of people.  It does not rest on the rickety framework of life's uncertainty.  The Christian's hope has, as its source, the Creator of all things Who finds it impossible to lie.  The Bible says, "...with God all things are possible."  (Mark 10:27)  However, the Bible also makes clear that God cannot do anything that is against His holy nature.  Since God has promised eternal life to the one who turns to Christ, revocation of that promise is impossible, because lying is impossible for Him with Whom "all things are possible."  In explaining God's covenant with Abraham, the book of Hebrews reaffirms this truth about God.  

"That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:"  (Hebrews 6:18)

   This eternal life that I cannot lose in Christ was determined and promised before time began.  The Greek word behind world is chronos from which we derive the first part of our English word chronology.  Before the world's chronology began, the Godhead had chosen to redeem mankind, knowing that man would fall into sin and hence separation from God.  This is Divine love my friends - that God would make me and you, knowing what we would do and providing beforehand a means for our eternal redemption.

When the difficulties come, and weakness seems to be our ever-present companion, we can find encouragement in the fact that we have irrevocable life which has been promised, before the existence of worldly chronology, to the one who places simple faith in the righteousness of God.

Encouraged by Examining My Relationship with God: Faith and Acknowledgement of the Truth

 "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;"   

(Titus 1:1)

   Before charging Titus with some tough jobs, Paul opens with a greeting that serves to focus our attention on what the believer has in Christ.  The Christian life can produce some sizeable challenges; however, it's good to know what I am in Christ and what I have in Him.

   Paul says that he is both a servant and an apostle.  Now, a careful study of Scripture in its context reveals that none of us can be an apostle.  That office has passed off the scene of Christian service; however, we are all servants of God if we are redeemed.  Paul was made a servant according to the faith... .  Salvation is entirely by faith and not of works.  For years, Paul had lived the life of a Pharisee, and (according to man's standards), he had done a good job of it (Phil. 3:4-6); yet, by God's grace, he had come to realize that the righteousness of Jesus Christ which is imparted to the sinner by faith is the only hope.  

   The faith mentioned is that of God's elect.  Elect isn't a word we use much anymore.  It means chosen, select or picked out (so to speak).  This word has been misinterpreted by many to say that God chooses for some people to be saved and some to be damned.  In context, the Bible teaches that a person is elect not because God chose them to be saved apart from their own will but rather, a person is elect because they have chosen to believe in God's means of salvation.  Let me put it this way, do you want to be one of God's elect?  If the answer is Yes, then simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you may enter the ranks of God's chosen!  Apart from belief in the cleansing blood of Christ, God does not select anyone to have fellowship with Him.  Faith in Christ makes us God's elect.  Only by faith in Jesus Christ did God choose to make people His elect.  No faith in Christ equals no election.

   Coupled with the faith of God's elect is the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.  The which is referring to the truth just mentioned.  This truth, which is found in God's Word, is according to godliness.  In other words, it is according to true piety, not false piety.  False piety is smug and self-centered.  It characterizes the self-righteous man, but true piety characterizes the genuine believer in Christ.  For years, Paul had resisted the righteousness of God and had gone about to establish his own righteousness (Rom. 10:3).  But, on the road to Damascus, Paul met the Lord Jesus; and there he realized that his false piety would never make up for his burden of sin that only Christ could remove.  

   I'm grateful for the simple faith that enables me to become a servant of God.  This simple faith in the finished work of Christ places me in the ranks of God's elect.  I'm grateful that all I need to do is acknowledge the truth concerning my sin, Christ's righteousness, and God's forgiveness through faith in Jesus.  By simply acknowledging what the Bible says, I can be clothed by the righteousness of Christ.  By humbling ourselves at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, we learn what true godliness is all about.

One of My Favorite Combos

I'm not good at running, but I sure do enjoy it!  Anyway, one of my favorite exercise combos is to go for an interval run and then finish it off at home with a little upper body/core strength session.  Here's the formula ...

Do an interval run circuit.  I use either 2 minutes of running followed by 2 minutes of fast walking or (if I'm more energetic) 3 minutes of running followed by 1 minute of walking.  

Honestly, you can pick any time interval that works for you.  If you're new to all this, perhaps you would be better off starting out with 1 minute of a moderate running pace followed by 2 minutes of a brisk walk.

I do 6-7 rounds, again, do what works for your body.  After this, do a cooldown walk and finish it off at home with some weights.

For the strength part, I do a strength circuit of 40 seconds of work followed by 20 seconds of rest.  I alternate between these exercises and usually repeat the series 3 to 4 times ...

Pushups

Dumbbell Rows

Situp/Crunches/or Hollow-body Holds (any of these work)

This last strength circuit will take you 9 to 12 minutes and it's a great way to get in some upper-body work after all that running.  Enjoy!

Protein-packed Chocolate Power Smoothie

 If you weren't a fan of the Sunrise Bean Smoothie, perhaps you'll find this one more appealing.

1 cup milk or coconut/almond milk

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup frozen riced cauliflower

1 tbs of cocoa powder

1/2 cup frozen dark sweet cherries

2 pitted medjool dates (sub 2 tbs of pure maple syrup)

1 tbs ground flax seed

1/2 cup cooked beans (not frozen)

Optional: 1 packet of instant coffee

This one is a favorite for me. I especially enjoy it post-workout. Give it a try!

Beans and Fruit?

 Smoothies are one of my favorite breakfast meals.

Being fast, simple, and easily made healthy, they are a great choice for the health-conscious person who is in need of a quick breakfast (or lunch, or dinner for that matter 😀).

Smoothies can have one problem ... They often do not have enough protein.

Because of all the extra trashy ingredients and sugars, I'm not a fan of protein powders; and, plant-based protein powders, (while healthy) are often expensive.  That's where beans come in ...

Make yourself some black, pinto, navy, or kidney beans.  Thaw them the night before (or use canned if you're not into making beans).

And, when you're ready for that smoothie, throw them in.  One cup of kidney beans has about 40 grams of protein, so you can see how it doesn't take much to get a healthy dose of protein by using them.  Plus beans have iron and fiber, so what's not to love about them?

I know what you're thinking.  "Beans in a smoothie?!  Yuck!."  Trust me, if you add the proper ingredients, you'll never know.

Here's what I made this morning ...

Sunrise Bean and Fruit Smoothie

1 cup orange juice

1 tbs ground flax seed

1/2 cup red beans

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup frozen peaches

1/2 cup frozen cauliflower (riced)

1/2 frozen banana

Optional: 1 medjool date or 1 tbs maple syrup

Not only is it delicious, it's a cancer fighter!!