GOODBYE, "BAND" LEADER

January 12, 2011Read: 1 Timothy 5

“Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers." –1 Timothy 5:1

You might not know who Dick Winters is, but he died this week, and you and I owe him a moment of pause. Winters was the leader of Easy Company — arguably one of the most elite groups of American soldiers in World War II. Their story was made popular by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg in the acclaimed series Band of Brothers.

Prior to D-Day and long before the beaches of Omaha, the Winters-led group who would come to be known as the Angels from the Sky had to first prove their readiness. After months of testing and training, only those left standing were given their wings. Interestingly, while their worries were few, the one common fear they all had was whether their chutes would open correctly since they were responsible for packing their own parachute the day before each jump.

Please forgive the comparison, but if you and I were responsible for providing a safe landing from our many falls, we’d live in fear too. But since God’s love reaches lower than our worst mistakes and higher than our greatest accomplishments, we have a green light to take a daily leap of faith. Or as Major Winters would have put it, "to stand up, hook up, and jump."

--J.P.

REST NOT, WANT NOT How to use rest to your advantage when training with weights

If you train with weights, you likely do so with an eye toward being stronger and leaner. And while a great many exercisers will set their programs with precision -- dutifully planning exercises sets and reps for each workout -- very few are as diligent when it comes to rest periods. Instead, some people will choose to rest until it "feels right" to get into the next set.

But if you're trying to burn more fat, you may want to start watching the clock.

"Studies find that those who rested 30 seconds between sets during weight training workouts burned 50% more calories than those who rested three minutes," says Jim Stoppani, PhD, co-author of "PrayFit: Your Guide to a Healthy Body and a Stronger Faith in 28 Days."

For more information like this from the Doc, visit www.jimstoppani.com or join his Facebook fan page.

>> FEATURED JOURNAL: Eric Gonzalez | Back at it in 2011

STAND UP, HOOK UP AND JUMP

September 2, 2010Read: Matthew 16

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” –Matthew 16:25

I recently watched a documentary about the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, also known as Easy Company — arguably one of the most elite group of soldiers of World War II. Those who didn’t lose their lives shared their stories of bravery, battles and brotherhood, the likes of which had this weak shell of a writer in a flood of tears.

But prior to D-Day and long before the beaches of Omaha, the group of men who would come to be known as the angels from the sky had to first prove their readiness. After months of testing and training, only those left standing were given their wings. Interestingly, while their worries were few, the one common fear they all had was whether their chutes would open correctly — as they were responsible for packing their own parachute the day before each jump.

Please forgive the comparison, but if you and I were responsible for providing a safe landing from our fall, we’d live in fear too. But since God’s love reaches lower than our worst mistakes and higher than our greatest accomplishments, we have a green light to stand up, hook up and jump.

Which reminds me, once those boys boarded the plane, despite it all, they couldn’t wait to hit the ground and fight. That took uncommon valor. But when Jesus took our place on the cross, that took a miracle of love and grace.

–J.P.

3 STEPS TO A BETTER STRIDE Protect your feet, run easier and conserve energy with these tips

I’ll leave more testimonials to the avid runners, but in grad school, we spent semesters studying the mechanics of a running stride. Pretty detailed stuff. Maybe that’s why I headed to the weight room. But if you feel you’re running inefficiently and a bit out of control, your entire body could need adjusting. Your best plan should be to have an experienced runner or fitness professional examine your gait. Have them watch you and give you credible advice. A few things he or she will be looking for are:

Foot Plant One of the most important phases of running mechanics is the position of your foot when it lands on the ground. When your foot strikes the ground it will land toes first, ball of the foot first, flat footed or heel first. Many runners make the mistake of reaching out in front of their body and landing heel first. Your most efficient foot plant is one in which your foot lands directly under your hips or your center of gravity. You may land on the ball of your foot or flat footed. The ideal landing position is slightly toward the outside edge of your foot, just behind your little toe.

Arms The main purpose of an arm swing is to provide balance and coordination with the legs. The arms should hang loose and relaxed, close to the body. Avoid excessive movement. You want to avoid any tenseness in the shoulders. Also, allowing your arms to cross in front of your body even slightly can cause excessive and unnecessary twisting of your spine, forcing you to work harder — futher incentive to keep them close to your sides.

Source: www.runningplanet.com