Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

Architecture, Quote, Zaha Adid

Today’s quote is a tribute to Zaha Adid. She passed away a year ago today and was highlighted on Google’s search engine today. After a quick little read, I figured out why she was presented today. She was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize. This prize is the equivalent of the Nobel Prize, but for architects.

I found one of her quotes below:

“I will never give myself the luxury of thinking, ‘I’ve made it.'” – Zaha Hadid

Wise advice for anyone who is pursuing prominence in their field. The primary culprit of a fall for most folks is complacency. They get too big for their britches and stop working. The moment someone stops working, sticking to the basics of their profession, is the moment they fall down.

It was terrific learning something about this woman today. I’m glad I took a look around for information on her. What a great history and background!

Until tomorrow!!

 

Daily Ramblings – Workout Log

Tags

Calves, Shoulders, Trapezoids

Today’s Exercises

Shoulders

• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 x 11 (35lbs)
• Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 x 9 (25lbs)
• Dumbbell Upright Row 3 x 11 (25lbs)
• Bent Over Later Raise 3 x 9 (20lbs)

Traps

• One-Arm Smith Machine Shrug 4 x 11 (80lbs)

Calf

• Seated Calf Raise 4 x 20 (188lbs)
• Leg Press Calf Raise 4 x 20 (188lbs)

Workout Overview

Today’s workout is Day 3 Week 2 Phase 3 of Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Size (www.jimstoppani.com). This workout works in three 4-week cycles starting on week 1 with rep ranges of 12-15. All exercises this week will be in the 9-11 rep range.

Today’s workout hits the Shoulders, Traps, and Calves.

Current Bodyweight

235lb

Yesterday’s macros

Carbohydrates 296g; Fat 129g; Protein 278g

Supplements and Water intake

Water

128 Fluid oz. (1 gallon)

Morning

• AlphaJym
• ShredJym
• PreJym combined with flavorless Whey Protein (25g)

During Workout

• BCAA drink during workouts with flavorless Whey Protein (24g)

Post Workout

• PostJym Dextrose and BCAA Matrix combined with flavorless Whey Protein (24g)
• OmegaJym
• VitaJym

Evening

• ZMAJym

See you tomorrow!!

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

Grateful, Gratitude, Happiness, Satisfied

“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” – Rabbi Harold Kushner

Gratitude, like happiness, is all about realizing that we are grateful and happy right now. Like anything in life, if you are chasing after something, you will continue to chase it for all of your life. You chase something because you believe you lack what you are seeking—get it?

If one is grateful for the home they have, the bed they have, the food they have, the health they have, the talents they have, and all the rest, life, for some reason continues to give you reasons to be grateful and happy.

How do we develop a habit of gratitude? It’s actually easier than you might think. You merely begin each day thinking about 1, 2, or 3 things that you are sincerely grateful for. Take a few moments and think. What are you grateful for right now? Is it your health? Is it your family? Is it a pet? Is it a book you are reading? You can be grateful for anything in your life, regardless of how rich or poor you are. There is always something in our lives we can truly be grateful and happy for having.

I have mentioned in other posts about my gratitude journal. You can either buy yourself a journal or you can use an electronic version. The one I use is electronic and is called the Five Minute Journal (easy to find in the Apple App store). It costs about $5.00 US, but it does not require an annual fee or anything once you’ve downloaded it. It’s a terrific app.

If you need some help finding something to be grateful for in your life, feel free to reach out. You can also respond here with any tools you use to capture gratitude in your life.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day!

See you tomorrow!

Daily Ramblings – Workout Log

Tags

Abdominals, Back, Biceps, Obliques

Today’s Exercises

Back

• One Arm Dumbbell Row 4 x 11 (40lbs)
• Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown 3 x 9 (120lbs)
• Straight Arm Pulldown 3 x 11 (60lbs)
• Seated Cable Row (Close) 3 x 11 (100lbs)

Biceps

• Standing Barbell Curl 4 x 11 (50lbs)
• Incline Cable Curl 3 x 11 (20lbs)
• Concentration Curl 3 x 11 (20lbs)

Abdomen and Obliques

• Hanging Leg Raise 3 x 19
• Crunch (Weighted) 3 x 19 (10lbs)
• Dumbbell Side Bend 3 x 19 (35lbs)

Workout Overview

Today’s workout is Day 2 Week 2 Phase 3 of Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Size (www.jimstoppani.com). This workout works in three 4-week cycles starting on week 1 with rep ranges of 12-15. All exercises this week will be in the 9-11 rep range.

Today’s workout hits the Back, Biceps, Abdomen and Oblique muscles.

Current Bodyweight

235lbs

Yesterday’s macros

Carbohydrates 178g; Fat 82g; Protein 162g;

Supplements and Water intake

Water

128 Fl. Oz.

Morning

• AlphaJym
• ShredJym
• PreJym combined with flavorless Whey Protein (25g)

During Workout

• BCAA drink during workouts with flavorless Whey Protein (24g)

Post Workout

• PostJym Dextrose and BCAA Matrix combined with flavorless Whey Protein (24g)
• OmegaJym
• VitaJym

Evening

• ZMAJym

See you tomorrow!!

Daily Ramblings – Memorial Day

Tags

First-Responders, Humanitarians, Memorial Day, Military

Today is a special day for many who have lost loved ones who have served our country. In addition to the many military members, past, present, and future, the definition of conflict has changed dramatically in the 21st century. Now, in addition to our military, we must also celebrate those first responders and everyday citizens that responded when called upon at the moment.

Our world is no longer as safe as it was. All societies are now exposed to a different kind of evil and cowardice–an evil that plants a bomb at a concert, flies a plane into a building, or drives a truck into a crowd of shoppers. This ideology is not about pluralism, but more about “it’s our way or the highway”, which is demonstrated by heinous acts across the globe. This evil is not limited to one race, one ethnicity, or one country. It is a new paradigm that allows a few to terrorize the majority of people who only want peace and security for their families, friends, and loved ones.

Take a few moments today to honor the first responders and military across the planet for the sacrifices they have made for their countries, the growing number of victims to terror, and the many peoples who have been the victim of a natural disaster. Each of you has made a difference in another person’s life.

As an Army veteran of 21 years, I salute all of my brothers and sisters who have served, are serving, or will serve in the Armed Forces of the United States. Your sacrifices will be remembered forever.

Dave Gardner

SFC, Army Retired

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

parable, Quote, Taoism, Taoist

“I accommodated myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived.” – Taoist Parable

This is such a great quote. I don’t want to contribute what I think of this one because I think this will allow each of you to come to your own conclusions without any interference from me. Enjoy thinking about this one if you are interested.

Until tomorrow…

 

Daily Ramblings – Workout Log

Tags

Bodybuilding, Calves, chest, Exercise, healthy living, triceps, weight lifting, working out

Happy Memorial Day! I hope everyone enjoys the culmination of a long weekend today. I hit the gym early this morning to knock out this routine. The three days off was well deserved and produced excellent results. I increased weight in every exercise since last week’s chest day. This is what matters. Increased weight = increased muscle mass. It’s that simple. Anyways, Have a safe Memorial Day!

Today’s Exercises

Chest

• Bench Press 4 x 11 (145lbs)
• Reverse Grip Incline Dumbbell Press 3 x 11 (30lbs)
• Incline Dumbbell Fly 3 x 11 (35lbs)
• Cable Crossover High Pulley 4 x 11 (15lbs)

Triceps

• Triceps Pushdown 3 x 11 (65lbs)
• One-Arm Overhead Triceps Extension Cable (low pulley) 3 x 11 (20lbs)
• Close Grip Bench Press 3 x 11 (110lbs)

Calves

• Seated Calf Raise 4 x 25 (178lbs)
• Standing Calf Raise 4 x 25 (178lbs)

Workout Overview

Today’s workout is Day 5 Week 2 Phase 3 of Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Size (www.jimstoppani.com). This workout works in three 4-week cycles starting on week 1 with rep ranges of 12-15.

Today’s workout hits the Chest, Triceps, and Calves. Reps this week will span 9 – 11 reps.

Current Bodyweight

235lbs

Yesterday’s macros

Carbohydrates 237g; Fat 109g; Protein 85g

Supplements and Water intake

Water

128 Fluid oz

Morning

• AlphaJym
• ShredJym
• PreJym combined with flavorless Whey Protein (24g)

During Workout

• BCAA drink during workouts with flavorless Whey Protein (24g)

Post Workout

• PostJym Dextrose and BCAA Matrix combined with flavorless Whey Protein (24g)
• OmegaJym
• VitaJym

Evening

• ZMAJym

See you tomorrow!!

Daily Ramblings – Daily Workout

Tags

Rest day

Just a quick reminder folks, today was a rest day. I’ll be posting tomorrow after I finish workout 1, week 2, phase 3 of the Shortcut to Size workout program by Jim Stoppani (www.jimstoppani.com).

See you tomorrow!!

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

Focus, Meditation, Mindfulness, Practice

“Mindfulness – it isn’t a trick or a gimmick. It’s being present in the moment. When I’m with you, I’m with you. Right now. That’s all. No more and no less.” – Will Schwalbe

Being Present

Being present is a byproduct of meditation as long as you maintain your practice. It’s interesting when you begin your meditation practice how quickly your mind wants to wander. When you start paying attention to this during your practice you realize that your mind can slip away from the breath multiple times in a 30-minute session. Imagine how often you slip away when a loved one is trying to share their day with you? Imagine how much you miss when you are reading a story and you slip away to something else?

Meditation Mobile Applications

If anything, mindfulness meditation practices can help you salvage a lot of missed enjoyment in your life. By being present, your conversations will be richer, your reading will be more interesting, your meals will be tastier, and your time in nature more restful. If you are interested in establishing your own practice, there are two mobile apps you may want to try. The first is Calm (www.calm.com) and the second is headspace (www.headspace.com).

I want to stress that this is not a religious thing at all. You can be of any faith and practice Mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation is all about learning to focus and remain focused over longer periods of time. Will you control your mind? No; that’s impossible. The key is to simply notice and gently bring the mind back to your breath or whatever else you are focusing on. You don’t need a lot of time for this either—10-15 minutes is it. I try to sit for around 30 minutes, but I’ve been doing this for over 45 years. It’ll take you some time to do this, but it’s well worth it. You’ll find every aspect of your life will improve, particularly your stress levels!

If you are interested, simply click on either link to check these apps out for yourself. Personally, I enjoy the Calm app better than headspace, but this is my opinion only. Many folks prefer headspace to Calm as well. Happy Sitting!!

Please be sure to visit my blog tomorrow. I will be posting a heartfelt message for Memorial Day.

Until tomorrow…

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

Inner voice, Intuition, Micromanagement, Patton

“If you tell people where to go, but not how to get there, you’ll be amazed at the results.” – George S. Patton

General Patton is one of my heroes. As we approach Memorial Day, I felt this quote appropriate for today’s Daily Quote.

This quote is about leading people. Have you ever been micromanaged? Do you recall how limiting this type of leadership was when you experienced it? Micromanagers don’t trust anyone. They monitor every single thing their people do because deep down they believe that other people are out to get them. Imagine how frustrating it would be to work for someone like this.

If you are a worker, doing the same tasks every day, you will come upon ways to improve what you do. Something that will achieve better results. Maybe it will help you get the job done more quickly. Maybe it will save your company money. Maybe the idea you have can be marketed and sold. The possibilities are endless unless you have a micromanager for a boss.

Believe it or not, some people micromanage themselves. This is also a really inefficient way to live your life. Take a risk, make a change, listen to your intuition. There is always a better way to do things. If you pay attention you’ll arrive upon one of these solutions that allow you to do the job better, faster, and cheaper than you did initially.

Here’s an example. I have been posting daily quotes to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+ for years. I finally got to the point that there had to be a more efficient way to do this. So, here we are—Daily Quotes on WordPress that I broadcast to each of these social media networks daily. I also get to talk a little to my audience about a quote and what it means to me. Maybe it connects with someone; maybe it doesn’t. The key here is that I didn’t let my internal micromanager get in my way. I trusted my inner voice and went with it.

Well, that’s it for today folks. I hope you enjoyed the quote and my feelings about it.

Until tomorrow…