For the past 30 days, this blog has been unbelievably read in Israel more than in the US and in the Philippines and in all other countries in the world with the exception of Singapore. How did that happen?
Strange isn’t it? It is something my simple mind cannot fully comprehend. Unfathomable indeed!
God is probably sending me a message. Please join me in prayer to end the Israel-Hamas War. Let there be peace. AMEN.
Whether you work from home or in the office, here are some practical tips how to increase your daily steps:
1. Stand and move around while talking with someone over the phone.
2. Instead of going in circles looking for a parking space near your building, choose the farthest to increase your steps.
3. When riding the elevator, get off a floor before your exit level and take the stairs. Gradually increase the number of floors you walk. Make sure you allotted enough time for this before your Boss notice that you’re always late for work. If you sweat a lot, bring extra clothes. And if you’re lucky to have a bathroom in your office, take a quick shower before settling for work.
4. If you can successfully hold yourself, use the farthest restroom from your office.
5. Aim to drink 3-4 liters of water a day so you will have more trips to the water dispenser station.
6. With your pet fur as walking buddy, enjoy his company early in the morning or after dinner.
7. Take steps to the right, left, front, and back while attending a virtual meeting. That means you need a standing table. Mine is the cabinet I used when I was still selling health products in StarMall.
8. If you have a second floor in your home, climb up and down the stairs while praying the Rosary. You have strengthened your physical body while nourishing your soul. If you’re not Catholic, listen to beautiful music or be creative and think of something else. Or think of nothing at all. Empty your mind. Go up and down until you drop.
9. When you get together with friends, catch up stories with them while window shopping or strolling in the park. At least your body is ready for the Unlimited Buffet you intend to feast on heheheh...
10. Instead of riding the tricycle, walk going home. If you have a number of things with you, equally distribute them into 2 bags so you don’t suffer from frozen shoulder or if you’re more comfortable with a backpack, carry one.
(Got more ideas? Email me at ndelr62@gmail.com or chat with me via Messenger. Stay safe everyone!)
Come February 25, 2024, I get the chance to prove the authenticity of the idiomatic expression “Third Time’s the Charm” when I finally reach the peak of People’s Park in the Sky before 1PM.
Yup! You guessed it right. For the third time, I’m gonna attempt to run from Luneta to Tagaytay in less than 14 hours. I failed to do that this year. My running buddy and I gave up at km 47 — only 13 kms away to the joy of ecstatic victory. We went home severely devastated.
“If you don’t change anything, nothing will change.” No short cuts this time. I am sticking to Marathon Handbook’s 26-week Training Schedule for a 60km Ultramarathon. I now have pairs of specialized socks for PLANTAR FASCIITIS. Nothing’s gonna stop me now.
The program consists of 4 running days, 2 REST days (Mon. and Fri.) and Thursday for Strength Training.
Now here’s the challenge: Monday is reserved for YOGA, my bonding time with Gio. Thursday is for TaiChi, my bonding time with Eia. So on Thursdays, I do TaiChi and lift dumb bells. In effect, I only have 1 REST day for the week. But I’m happy that my Coach (Omar of BetterMe) suggested this modification in the training plan. He used to nag me that I should have 2 REST days in a week but I firmly declared that Monday YOGA with my unico hijo is non-negotiable. So is Thursday TaiChi with my only daughter. He finally accepted my extraordinary conditions but is probably praying that I will survive my training without bonking. So my modified schedule looks like this:
(For comments/suggestions, pls email me at ndelr62@gmail,com or chat with me via Messenger. Stay safe everyone!)
It is so easy to praise and thank God when blessings keep pouring on us. We raise our hands in exaltation and dance in jubilation. But when we get caught and swept away by a tsunami, what do we do?
I used to declare that God will certainly not give you a cross you cannot carry. Now at 65, I look back and realize how naive I was.
Sometimes, we are faced with insurmountable problems that we cannot overcome no matter what we do. Even with professional help, the adversities keep coming in bunch. Of course friends and family are always there to comfort us and offer their utmost support but still, we remain stuck in the middle of a quicksand where we could drown anytime soon.
When we are crushed at the bottom of the pit brought about by endless battles we couldn’t win, God is telling us something. “Be still and know that I am God.”
When you have already done everything humanly possible and still failed, surrender everything to God. Trust Him completely and believe in your heart that He is the God of the Impossible. He will make a way where there seems to be no way. He is bigger than all the biggest problems in this world combined.
Yes, sometimes God do give us custom-made crosses that are way too heavy for us to carry. It is during those turbulent times that our faith is put to the ultimate test. Will you grow steadfast in faith and expect a miracle from God with great anticipation OR will you just allow yourself to wallow in self-pity and eventually die of desolation?
You were running like Speedy Gonzales for quite sometime. Then for whatever reason, your legs suddenly acquired a mind of their own. They refuse to move in the direction you want them to go. It felt that your legs were replaced by tons of heavy metal bars tied to a ship. No matter how hard you try, you are stuck in the same place and you cannot forcibly break through the invisible wall that is blocking your path. You tell yourself “I can do this.” But the more you focus yourself on your legs, the heavier they seem to become.
What do you do now aside from taking your favorite energy gel and sports drink?
Focus on something else. Try to pinch some parts of your body so your attention will be diverted to those parts instead of your legs.
Focus on your surroundings. Inhale. Exhale. Recall the mantra of your yoga coach “calmness in everything.” Pay attention to minute details around you. Admire the flowers, the trees, the grass, the birds, the sky, etc. Forget about your stubborn legs.
Focus on the runners ahead of you. Pick someone whom you want to overtake. Like someone who is bulkier than you but is probably being pushed by his guardian angel to the formidable Finishline. Summon your own guardian angel to carry you. Promise yourself an awesome treat if you succeed in reaching him. When you do, you may go side by side with him or choose someone else to reach.
Okay. Gotta run now!
Normally, the Cut-Off time for a marathon is 7 hours. For 50k, 10 hours. For 60k, 14 hours. For 80k, 18 hours. For 100k, it varies from 18 hours to 24 hours.
Whether you work at home or work outside, it would be wise to maximize your time on your feet. Hence, do not sit if you can stand.
My work table is actually a cabinet. I don’t have a chair inside my room. For a while I had one when standing became a challenge for me because of my extra weight and belly fat. Now that I am lighter and slimmer (thanks to my awesome Coach Omar of BetterMe), I am back to my former routine of working while standing.
To lessen your pain and agony, you may do it gradually starting from just 1 hour of standing, It’s really up to you how much time you will add for every passing day. If your goal is to run the marathon, aim to stand 7 hours a day.
(Thanks for dropping by. You may email me at ndelr62@gmail.com or we can chat via Messenger. Stay safe everyone!
Today is the Feast of Guardian Angels. In our family, we pray to our guardian angels everyday.
Through the course of our lives, we meet people along the way who are like guardian angels. They mentor us, guide us, protect us, support us. Let us pause for a moment and say a prayer for them. Whether they are still living or went ahead of us, let us be grateful for their thoughtfulness and generosity.
How about paying it forward? Be a guardian angel to someone who needs help. Make a difference in this person’s life. Help him become a better person. I am sure you can think of someone whom you can be a guardian angel to.
God bless you, guardian angels!
I don’t exactly remember who said this but I am sure a priest said this in one of his sermons. “You are blessed not because of yourself but because of others.”
This immediately came to mind when I received a forwarded message “Don’t just count your blessings. Be the blessing other people count on.”
Ever wondered why God did not bless that person directly? Why would He bless you instead and expect that you will share it with somebody who needs it more than you do? What if you rejected God’s call to be a blessing to others?
God trusts us so much. He assumes that our generosity will triumph over our own selfishness. Let us not disappoint Him. The next time you receive a hefty amount of money, do not hesitate to share it with me heheheh . . .