Happy Birthday to My Sister

 

I'm not in this pic with Tammy, but this is the only pic that was immediately accessible.  I'm grateful for my sister today.  It's her birthday.  She loves God, her family and the outdoors.  

I have fond memories of her and my older brother Joshua playing around our childhood home near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.  TT, as we used to call her, and some still do, was a good shot with the gun (still is as far as I know), a good cook, and was always good for a hug when one of us was down.

She is now a good wife to her husband, Brian, a good mom to her kids and definitely a grandma who loves her grandkids (yeah, they pretty much dominate her social media page 😀).

Happy Birthday, Tammy!  We love you!

The Bowling Green Fitness Court

 

We are grateful for the town in which we live.  It's not too big, but it also has some nice amenities.

Among the perks of living in Bowling Green is the fact that it has many different parks.  One of those parks has an outdoor fitness court.  So, while Sandra did her run, I enjoyed "upper body" day outside at the fitness court.

These courts can be found in many different states.  They are a part of the National Fitness Campaign.  I even found one in the small town of Seymour, IN which is near to where Sandra's parents live.

Today, I did my pull-ups, push-ups, chest flys, rows, etc. outside in the beautiful weather.  The sun was out, and the temperature was around 52F, so it was a pleasant experience.

Afterwards, Sandra and I reconnected and walked the 1.6 mile loop around the park a couple of times.  She had already been around twice, so she was a bit tired out 😉.

It's ok.  I'll reward her with a coffee ☕☕from Dunkin' later!

A New Favorite Eatery

Sandra and I were headed home yesterday, and we were needing a place to eat near Louisville, KY.  

Sandra found a place called Core Life Eatery which advertises healthy bowls.  We decided to give it a try.  

We sure are glad that we did!  It's a new favorite!!

Sandra's bowl had quinoa, carrots, roasted chicken, miso-sesame-ginger dressing and other good things for your body.

Mine was an Asian Korean BBQ bowl which had purple rice, Korean pork, kimchi, sriracha sprouts, pickled red onions, a fried egg, and a very tasty dressing.  I'm not aware of too many places where you can go and get foods that are pre-biotic (kimchi) for under $12 a bowl!!

Oh yeah, they have juices that are phenomenal!  Mine was beet lemonade (the combo of beets and citrus was amazing) sweetened with cane sugar.

Sandra's had figs, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, and some cane sugar to sweeten.  She was addicted.  It truly did taste like you were drinking apple pie.

I may feel the need to make another "business" trip to that part of the state soon 😉😋.

If you're travelling and looking for healthy options, this is a no-brainer. 

Good Change

I had been feeling kind of stuck in my fitness, so, about a month ago, I decided to mix it up.  I found the website of a certified trainer, and the site offers free workout plans.  I found one that is formulated especially for men over 40 (yeah, that's me now!).

Here's a quick rundown of the plan:

Monday - Leg Day

Walking Lunges, Box Jumps, Suitcase Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats, Goblet Squats

I do 3-4 rounds with 30-45 seconds rest between each exercise.

Tuesday - Lower Body Mobility

World's Greatest Stretch, 90-90s, Side Lunges, Low Lunges, Scorpions

This isn't in the plan, but I added a series of pullups and pushups that progress in difficulty.  This routine fits well into this day since mobility is the only thing slated for this day.

Wednesday - High Intensity Interval Training

High Knees, Mountain Climbers, Squat Thrusts, Jump Lunges, Butterfly Situps, Skaters

30 seconds of each, 30 seconds of rest, repeat 6 times

Thursday - Upper Body Mobility

Cat/Cow Stretch, Shoulder CARS, Thread the Needle, World's Greatest Stretch, Bretzel Stretch, Seated Twist

I normally get a walk in on this day, or sometimes it's a running day also.

Friday - Upper Body

Pullups, Rows, Pushups, Shoulder Presses, Tricep Presses, Tricep Kickbacks, Curls

3 rounds of 8-12 reps each and 30-45 seconds rest between each move

Saturday - Running Day

Sometimes this is a running day for me if I haven't ran on Thursday.  Sandra and I always walk on this day if possible.

Sunday - Off (Church, which is a different type of exercise 😊, ministering can be draining as well as fulfilling!)

For weights, I use a set of #25, #20, and #15 dumbbells.

I'm about to start the 4th week of this routine, and I must say, I can see and feel results.  The routine is hitting my muscles harder than what I was doing, but it is also forcing me to do more mobility which is more important as we age.

I found this free workout on humanfitproject.com.  I'm not endorsing the entire site, just giving credit where credit is due.  

It's Not Hard

I was reading my Bible today, and I came across this verse in Deuteronomy, chapter 30.

"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil."

In context, God had just explained to Israel that if they love and obey Him, they will be blessed, but if they reject Him and rebel, they will be cursed.

As sinful humans, we like to make things harder than they are.  Actually, life isn't as hard to understand as it might seem.  We can say, "Yes, God," or we can say, "No, God."

A person can look at the wonders of creation with its endless examples of intelligent design and say either, "Yes, there must be a God," or "No, all of this is the product of chance."

We can either accept God's authority over us or reject it by making up endless reasons as to why He doesn't exist.

A person can either read God's preserved Word, the Bible, and choose faith in Christ, or reject Him.  We can either submit ourselves to the Bible's endless teaching of justification by faith, or we can twist the Word to make it say as we please.

With these basic of all decisions comes also two different results.  Saying, "Yes, God," brings life and good.  Saying "Yes" to God's authority as seen in creation, saying "Yes" to His revealed truth in the Bible, and, ultimately, saying "Yes" to Jesus Christ and asking Him to save you will result in life and good.

However, saying "No" will bring death and evil.  Saying "No" to God's authority as witnessed by creation will result in an emptiness that can't be filled by anyone or anything.

Saying "No" to God's truth as revealed in the Bible will leave one empty, deceived, and destitute.

Ultimately, saying "No" to God's forgiveness that is offered through repentant faith in Jesus Christ will leave one destined for Hell when life comes to a close.

Life is full of many hard things, and some things are hard to understand, but the most important thing in life is quite simple, bow your heart to the truth of the Bible and turn to Jesus for forgiveness, or remain obstinate and set in your ways and suffer the consequence of eternal damnation.

Say, "Yes, God," and find endless joy and fulfillment, even in the worst of times, or say, "No, God," and be empty and miserable, even in the best of times.

When I read my Bible, I want to have a heart that is always willing to say, "Yes, God."  Gratefully, Jesus is my Savior, and I can't lose my salvation, but I can get myself into some miserable situations by saying, "No, God" when the Lord is trying to teach me through His Word.  When I read about the need to forgive, I want to say, "Yes, I'll do that."  When I read His commands to be different than the world, I want to say, "Yes, I'll do that."  When I read about the need to be constantly grateful, I want to say, "Yes, by God's grace, I'll do that."

God is merciful.  He didn't have to give me a choice at all, because I don't deserve anything good, but He did, and I'm grateful.

"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil."