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~ Rejecting the gods of our culture since 1998.

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Monthly Archives: September 2017

Fall Fit Challenge – Week 3 Recap

26 Tuesday Sep 2017

Posted by braddahr in Observations

≈ Leave a comment

Here is my Fall Fit Challenge week 3 recap. I am continuously updating the original Fall Fitness Challenge post with each day’s exercises.  Save that page and refresh it often to see the next exercises and sets.

Here are some guidelines:

Do some light, gentle, movements to get the blood flowing before you begin.
Strive to do the number of seconds or reps even if you have to take a break.
Modify as needed but try to keep the exercises difficult.
Focus on keeping your form and engaging your core.

S = seconds so 20s means 20 seconds.
See disclaimer below.

 

Week 3 – Repeat each set of daily exercises at least 2 times.

Saturday: Rest

Friday: Plank 30s, Mountain Climbers 30s, Burpees 10, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Thursday: Cat/Cow Stretch 10 of each, Side Plank 30s, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 30s, Shoulder Taps 10 (each time you tap a shoulder = 1).

Wednesday: Rest

Tuesday: Plank 30s, Push Ups 10, Squats 50, Side Planks 30s, Lunges with twist 10 per side

Monday: Plank 30s, Push Ups 8, Mountain Climbers 20s, Burpees 10, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Sunday:  Plank 30s, Push Ups 8, Squats 30 + Jump Squats 10, Side Plank 30s (both sides) , Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Brettzels 30s per side.

DISCLAIMER:

Like all those other fitness stuff, make sure you are able to start a beginner to intermediate intensity fitness program. See your doctor if you have any health conditions that could be aggravated, injuries that could be affected, or any medications that may need adjustment. Modify the exercises as needed to ensure they are the correct intensity for you. If at any time you feel sharp pain, experience dizziness or shortness of breath, please stop immediately and get checked out to ensure you’re safe. If you  begin to feel sexy and you want to get amorous with your partner, please go ahead in an appropriate manner and only with their consent.

Giant of a Man

25 Monday Sep 2017

Posted by braddahr in Discovery, Observations

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

CBC, childhood, Kindness, loss, Memories, TV

Growing up, did you ever watch kids’ shows? Cartoons? Live action? Did you have any favourites? When I was a kid, my mom wouldn’t bring a TV into our home. I had to live vicariously through the stories the other kids would tell about the TV shows they watched. If I was lucky, I would be at a friend’s house and I would catch a bit of a show. It wasn’t until I was seven that a TV was in the house. Do you realize how much catching up I had to do??

TV was a different place back then. No really, I’m not just reminiscing through a foggy memory that glorifies the olden days. I just found out that when Ronald Reagan was the US president, he deregulated a lot of business and one of those was TV. Right after that, kids’ TV programming when from sponsored by toy companies to half an hour toy commercials (with commercials). Come on, sing along with me:

“Paw Patrol, Paw Patrol,
We’ll be there on the double
Whenever there’s a problem…”

For a guy that apparently stood for family values, kind of odd that Reagan sold out kids to corporations.

Anyhow, even though we had TV, in Canada without cable there weren’t lots of programming choices. One kids’ show I would watch, out of sheer lack of choice, was “The Friendly Giant.”

The Friendly Giant was a 15 minute program on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Bob Homme, the friendly giant himself, created the show based on the premise that adults look like giants to children, and he wanted to show that “adults could be kind and warm and share a sense of wonderment.” Apparently, he could have been a millionaire if only he merchandized himself and his puppets. He felt doing so would be a betrayal of the children’s trust in him so he never sold out. Terry O’Reilly, Under the Influence.

 

Honestly, I thought “The Friendly Giant” was a bit corny by the time I watched it having already become a fan of “The Six Million Dollar Man.” How can a guy with some puppets and a recorder compete with bionic Steve Austin? And then came “Star Wars.” The show eventually ended in the early 1980’s but by then I was long past the target audience of the show and didn’t even know it was gone.

But here’s the thing. On May 2, 2000, I was living in the Vancouver, BC area and I was driving around to client meetings. While I sat in traffic at an intersection, a common Vancouver experience, the radio announced that Bob Homme, the friendly giant, had passed away. They did a short overview of his life, during which I grew in respect for the man, and then they played the ending to his show…

So there I sat in traffic, listening to the ending of that corny show, and I wept deeply for the loss.

 

Worst Fight Ever

24 Sunday Sep 2017

Posted by braddahr in Observations

≈ 1 Comment

I apologize in advance if alarm you, but this weekend, my wife and I had our worst fight ever. 

Our daughter and her three babies came to visit for a couple days. While we were getting a room ready, our daughter commented that she has never seen my wife and I fight. 

Talk about being triggered! Without warning, my wife and I began fighting. It escalated so quickly. Within moments it was our worst fight ever. 

Granted, it was a tickle fight.  

But it was a fight, nonetheless. 

Fall Fit Challenge – Week 2 Recap

19 Tuesday Sep 2017

Posted by braddahr in Observations

≈ Leave a comment

Here is my Fall Fit Challenge week 2 recap. I am continuously updating the original Fall Fitness Challenge post with each day’s exercises.  Save that page and refresh it often to see the next exercises and sets.

Do some light, gentle, movements to get the blood flowing before you begin.
Strive to do the number of seconds or reps even if you have to take a break.
Modify as needed but try to keep the exercises difficult.
Focus on keeping your form and engaging your core.

S = seconds so 20s means 20 seconds.
See disclaimer below.

Week 2 – Repeat each set of daily exercises at least 2 times. The week started with Sunday so scroll down… and then back up!

Saturday: Rest

Friday: Side Plank 30s, Mountain Climbers 20s, Burpees 10, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Thursday: Cat/Cow Stretch 10 of each, Side Plank 30s, Shoulder Taps 10 (each time you tap a shoulder = 1), Push ups 8, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Burpees 10.

Wednesday: Rest

Tuesday: Plank 30s, Squats 20, Side Planks 30s, Lunges with twist 10 per side

Monday: Plank 30s, Push Ups 8, Mountain Climbers 20s, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Jump Squats 10, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Sunday: Plank 30s, Push Ups 8, Side Plank 20s (both sides), Squats 40, Brettzels 30s per side.

 

DISCLAIMER:

Like all those other fitness stuff, make sure you are able to start a beginner to intermediate intensity fitness program. See your doctor if you have any health conditions that could be aggravated, injuries that could be affected, or any medications that may need adjustment. Modify the exercises as needed to ensure they are the correct intensity for you. If at any time you feel sharp pain, experience dizziness or shortness of breath, please stop immediately and get checked out to ensure you’re safe. If you  begin to feel sexy and you want to get amorous with your partner, please go ahead in an appropriate manner and only with their consent.

A Meaty Topic

18 Monday Sep 2017

Posted by braddahr in health

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Cardiologist, diet, health, Ironman, Marathon, Protein, swimming, triathlon, vegan, Vegetarian

Have you heard how to tell if someone is vegetarian or vegan? Don’t worry they’ll tell you! This also applies to Mac users, people who stopped smoking, and various athletes like marathoners and triathletes. The best one I heard: If you are a vegan, marathoner, who adopted a dog from a rescue shelter how do you know what to bring up first?

It’s funny but the reality is when people are passionate about stuff they talk about it. I switched to a plant based diet in 2013 but I’ve tried to not be too obnoxious about it. With that said, it does push my buttons when people say a person needs to eat meat if they are athletic. “How do you get enough protein?” they ask with wonder in their eyes?

Without getting to technical on you, the data is, if a North American person eats a well balanced, adequate calorie, plant-based diet, they will get more than enough protein. In fact, it’s the meat eaters you need to worry about because generally they are the one’s missing something critical from their diet – fibre. Possibly why meat eaters tend to have way higher incidences of colon cancer than those on a plant based diet. Just a side bonus – a plant based diet is generally less expensive (unless a person shops at Whole Foods but that’s another rant for another day).

Anyway, because of the myths about athletics and a plant based diet, I like stories about people that not only do sports but excel at them all without an ounce of meat. To that end, check this one out.

Meet Dr. Heather Shenkman, Ironman Triathlete and Vegan Cardiologist

Here’s a quote:

“I exercise six days a week, usually doing two workouts per day. My typical weekday morning starts with Golden Road Aquatics, a master’s swim group, from 6-7AM. I shower at the pool and go straight to work. Then, in the evenings, I might go jogging, take a yoga class, or go to a class at Barry’s Boot Camp. Getting in my workouts can be challenging since I’m a busy cardiologist, but I schedule in the time to exercise. I look at my calendar and plan everything in advance so that I know what I am doing as I go into each week. I also do longer, more challenging workouts, like longer trail runs or bike rides, on the weekends.”

It’s a good article so give it a read and let me know what you think.

Fall Fit Challenge – Week 1 Recap

12 Tuesday Sep 2017

Posted by braddahr in Observations

≈ Leave a comment

Here is my Fall Fit Challenge week 1 recap. I am continuously updating the original Fall Fitness Challenge post with each day’s exercises.  Save that page and refresh it often to see the next exercises and sets.

Do some light, gentle, movements to get the blood flowing before you begin.
Strive to do the number of seconds or reps even if you have to take a break.
Modify as needed but try to keep the exercises difficult.
Focus on keeping your form and engaging your core.

S = seconds so 20s means 20 seconds.
See disclaimer below.

 

Week 1 – Repeat each set of daily exercises at least 2 times. The week started with Sunday so scroll down… and then back up!

Saturday: Rest!

Friday: Plank 30s, Mountain Climbers 20s, Push Ups 8, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Burpees 10, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Thursday: Cat/Cow Stretch 10 of each, Side Plank 30s, Shoulder Taps 10 (each time you tap a shoulder = 1), Burpees 10.

Wednesday – Rest

Tuesday: Plank 30s, Push Ups 8, Squats 20, Side Planks 30s, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Lunges 10 per side.

Monday: Plank 20s, Shoulder Taps 10 (each time you tap a shoulder = 1), Squats 20, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

 

Sunday: Cat/Cow Stretch 10 of each, Plank 20s, Push Ups 8, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Side Plank 20s (both sides), Squats 20.

Cat/Cow Stretch

Push Up

Squats

Plank/Side Plank

Reverse SnowAngels

 

DISCLAIMER:

Like all those other fitness stuff, make sure you are able to start a beginner to intermediate intensity fitness program. See your doctor if you have any health conditions that could be aggravated, injuries that could be affected, or any medications that may need adjustment. Modify the exercises as needed to ensure they are the correct intensity for you. If at any time you feel sharp pain, experience dizziness or shortness of breath, please stop immediately and get checked out to ensure you’re safe. If you  begin to feel sexy and you want to get amorous with your partner, please go ahead in an appropriate manner and only with their consent.

Touch is Life

11 Monday Sep 2017

Posted by braddahr in health, recovery, relationships

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

healing, Hugs, Isolation, loneliness, recovery, Touch

I’m a hugger. Been that way for a long time. I’m told I’m good at it (aka encouraging and comforting but not creepy). I always ask. I find non-huggers and side-huggers (side hugs are from satan) to be weirdos. One guy would run out of the room whenever I brought up the subject in our group. Even so, I respect that people have their own ways and so I don’t make a big deal about it.

 

friends-1262152_1280

The other day, a friend sent me this article: How a Lack of Touch is Destroying Men. I was immediately intrigued. From a mental health perspective, I think the author has something important to say because he relates it to isolation. I encourage you to check it out but here’s a little excerpt and then a deep thought.

“In American culture, we believe that men can never be entirely trusted in the realm of the physical… Accordingly, it has become every man’s job to prove they can be trusted, in each and every interaction, day by day and case by case… by foregoing physical touch completely in any context in which even the slightest doubt about our intentions might arise.

And where does this leave men? Physically and emotionally isolated. Cut off from the deeply human physical contact that is proven to reduce stress, encourage self esteem and create community. Instead, we walk in the vast crowds of our cities alone in a desert of disconnection. Starving for physical connection. We crave touch. We are cut off from it. The result is touch isolation.”

The author ends the article with the simple sentence: “Touch is life.”

One of the powerful experiences that the Bible communicates is that Jesus touched people. Sadly, he is often presented stoically, distance, and unapproachable. In The Gospel of Matthew by The Visual Bible, Jesus is portrayed warm and friendly – I believe it’s the most accurate and realistic movie version of Jesus.

ComeToMe-NF-smIn the Good News, there is one time when a leper comes to Jesus and asks if he is willing to heal him. Keep in mind that this person would not have been touched or even treated humanely for a long time. But Jesus is more than willing and he touches the man!  To me, this is Jesus not just healing the physical ailment but the heart.

How about you? What role does touch play in your life? Have you figured out touch or are you in isolation?

Challenge Reminder

05 Tuesday Sep 2017

Posted by braddahr in Observations

≈ Leave a comment

Howdy!  Just in case you missed it, I started a Fall Fitness Challenge on Sunday. It’s a great way to get moving, get your heart pumping, and make your muscles stronger. Best of all, you can do the whole thing at home without special equipment.

I will be updating the original post each day, so click on this link and then save it so you can check back for each new day’s routine – Fall Fitness Challenge!

Voice Detection 

04 Monday Sep 2017

Posted by braddahr in Spirituality

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

God, Jesus, Listening, prayer, relationship, Voice

I recently had a conversation about hearing the voice of God. The person was doubtful and scoffed at the idea that God speaks to us and that we can discern it. Can we?

It’s an interesting question because many people believe they hear from God. Personally, I had an experience where I sensed God call me to ministry. It was definitely out of the ordinary and it didn’t feel like I was just talking with myself. In the Bible, there are numerous stories where people hear from God. They seem to be really clear concerning who they are talking with.

My thinking is that, the more time we spend getting to know God, through the Bible and prayer, the more we can recognize his voice when he speaks. The person that I was chatting with scoffed at that, too.

Do you know the musical “Hamilton”? We recently discovered the soundtrack and as we’ve been travelling a lot over the last year, we have listened to the soundtrack several times. My wife is a gifted singer and it’s a treat for me to hear her sing along. I try to keep up.

Then, one day, spending time with our GBs, we watched “Moana.” My wife said, “The composer is ‎the guy who did Hamilton. She meant Lin-Manuel Miranda and of course, I had to check it out to see if she was right and she was!

You see, she knows his voice.

 

I believe from Jesus own words, my experience and other’s testimony, the more time we spend in the Bible, particularly the Gospels, the more we will know his voice.

Want to try it out?

Fall Fit Challenge

02 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by braddahr in Observations

≈ 6 Comments

Welcome to the Fall Fit Challenge. If you missed my Fall Fitness Challenge Intro, you might want to read it first.

I will update this page the day before each workout to make sure you have the info first thing in the morning. Here are some guidelines:

Do some light, gentle, movements to get the blood flowing before you begin.
Strive to do the number of seconds or reps even if you have to take a break.
Modify as needed but try to keep the exercises difficult.
Focus on keeping your form and engaging your core.

S = seconds so 20s means 20 seconds.
See disclaimer below.

Week 6 – Repeat each set of daily exercises at least 3 times.

Welcome back! I hope you took the past week for active rest and enjoyed recovery.

Saturday: Rest

Friday: Plank 45s, Mountain Climbers 20s, Burpees 10, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Thursday: Cat/Cow Stretch 10 of each, Side Plank 30s, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 30s, Shoulder Taps 15 (each time you tap a shoulder = 1), Burpees 10.

Wednesday: Rest day.

Tuesday: Plank 45s, Push Ups 10, Squats 50, Side Planks 45s, Lunges with twist 15 per side

Monday: Plank 45s, Push Ups 15, Mountain Climbers 30s, Burpees 15, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Sunday: Plank 60s, Push Ups 12, Squats 40 + Jump Squats 10, Side Plank 60s (both sides) , Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Brettzels 30s per side.

Week 5 – Now for something completely different

Hopefully you have been following along and working hard. Take this week off! Not off from being active just let your muscles recover from these workouts. Go for a swim, take some yoga, run or bike – just do something to keep moving.

Week 4 – Repeat each set of daily exercises at least 3 (THIS IS NEW) times.

Saturday: Rest.

Friday: Plank 45s, Push Ups 10, Mountain Climbers 30s, Burpees 10, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Thursday: Cat/Cow Stretch 10 of each, Side Plank 30s, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 30s, Shoulder Taps 15 (each time you tap a shoulder = 1), Burpees 10.

Wednesday: Rest

Tuesday: Push Ups 10, Squats 50, Side Planks 45s, Lunges with twist 15 per side

Monday: Plank 45s, Mountain Climbers 30s, Burpees 15, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Sunday: Plank 45s, Push Ups 10, Squats 40 + Jump Squats 10, Side Plank 45s (both sides) , Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Brettzels 30s per side.

Week 3 – Repeat each set of daily exercises at least 2 times.

Saturday: Rest

Friday: Plank 30s, Mountain Climbers 30s, Burpees 10, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Thursday: Cat/Cow Stretch 10 of each, Side Plank 30s, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 30s, Shoulder Taps 10 (each time you tap a shoulder = 1).

Wednesday: Rest

Tuesday: Plank 30s, Push Ups 10, Squats 50, Side Planks 30s, Lunges with twist 10 per side

https://youtu.be/C6PZg83RnDI 

Monday: Plank 30s, Push Ups 8, Mountain Climbers 20s, Burpees 10, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Sunday:  Plank 30s, Push Ups 8, Squats 30 + Jump Squats 10, Side Plank 30s (both sides) , Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Brettzels 30s per side.

Week 2 – Repeat each set of daily exercises at least 2 times.

Saturday: Rest

Friday: Side Plank 30s, Mountain Climbers 20s, Burpees 10, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Thursday: Cat/Cow Stretch 10 of each, Side Plank 30s, Shoulder Taps 10 (each time you tap a shoulder = 1), Push ups 8, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Burpees 10.

Wednesday: Rest

Tuesday: Plank 30s, Squats 20, Side Planks 30s, Lunges with twist 10 per side

Monday: Plank 30s, Push Ups 8, Mountain Climbers 20s, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Jump Squats 10, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Sunday: Plank 30s, Push Ups 8, Side Plank 20s (both sides), Squats 40, Brettzels 30s per side.

Week 1 – Repeat each set of daily exercises at least 2 times.

Saturday: Rest!

Friday: Plank 30s, Mountain Climbers 20s, Push Ups 8, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Burpees 10, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

Thursday: Cat/Cow Stretch 10 of each, Side Plank 30s, Shoulder Taps 10 (each time you tap a shoulder = 1), Burpees 10.

Wednesday – Rest

Tuesday: Plank 30s, Push Ups 8, Squats 20, Side Planks 30s, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Lunges 10 per side.

Monday: Plank 20s, Shoulder Taps 10 (each time you tap a shoulder = 1), Squats 20, Side Angle Stretch hold for 30 seconds.

 

Sunday: Cat/Cow Stretch 10 of each, Plank 20s, Push Ups 8, Reverse Snow Angels (no weight) 20s, Side Plank 20s (both sides), Squats 20.

Cat/Cow Stretch

Push Up

Squats

Plank/Side Plank

Reverse SnowAngels

 

DISCLAIMER:

Like all those other fitness stuff, make sure you are able to start a beginner to intermediate intensity fitness program. See your doctor if you have any health conditions that could be aggravated, injuries that could be affected, or any medications that may need adjustment. Modify the exercises as needed to ensure they are the correct intensity for you. If at any time you feel sharp pain, experience dizziness or shortness of breath, please stop immediately and get checked out to ensure you’re safe. If you  begin to feel sexy and you want to get amorous with your partner, please go ahead in an appropriate manner and only with their consent.

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