Welcome back to this series called “What Regimen Training Taught Me as a Worship Leader”.

Part 1 is here.
Part 2 is here.

Part 3 – Change It Up

Routine.  It can be a good thing – for a while.  But changing up our fitness routines makes it more enjoyable and unpredictable.  We never know what the routine will be.  Some days we’re on the beach.  Some days we’re in the grass.  Some days we have “toys”.  (ie.  kettle bells, jump ropes, dumbbells, TRX suspension systems).  Other days – it’s just old-fashioned exercising.

Granted, when we plan a corporate worship experience, making it “enjoyable” shouldn’t necessarily be our first intention.  However, breaking up the routine can bring a freshness to the gathering and help give our minds a jolt out of the norm.

Why is this important?  When our routine is the same, Sunday after Sunday … it’s easy to just go through the motions.  You know … open up with a fast song, do announcements, do a few medium/slow songs, have a sermon, and close with the song that makes them come to the altar.  You can predict it so many times.  It’s not that this type of flow is wrong … but can we make our gathering more meaningful by changing things up?

Changing the routine can make us pay more attention to what is happening.  When we depart from our normal way of doing things it causes people to stop and take notice.  Try opening up with a more reflective, slow worship song to begin your services.  Put more songs together in a set, or break them apart with some readings or prayers.  Just don’t do the same motions – over and over.

Well, I hope you’re enjoying this series.  Please leave your comments below.  If you aren’t already subscribed to the blog, consider subscribing by email or RSS.

About the Picture:
This wasn’t your expected routine.  With these big bungie cords, we literally pulled one another across the parking lot.  As you can see, it was tough on both sides of the cord.  We left this routine excited because we did something different and new!

Welcome back to this series called “What Regimen Training Taught Me as a Worship Leader”.

Part 1 is here.

Part 2:  “Rest as Needed”

R.A.N.  It’s an acronym for “rest as needed” that our trainers constantly use.  They want us to be pushed past our comfort zones but they don’t want anyone hurt.  Every person that arrives at “Regimen Training” is at a different place in their fitness ability.

It’s profound how true this is when we gather to worship.  Every person that arrives is in a different place spiritually.  Some are super-charged and ready to go.  Others are broken, hurt, devastated, or discouraged.  Some are full of confidence while others are beaten down with guilt.

These are examples of one’s spiritual condition – but we have to account for one’s physical condition as well.  Have we ever considered that not every person in our congregation is comfortable standing for 25 minutes?  That clapping actually hurts the hands of the person suffering from arthritis?

As worship leaders we should encourage our congregations to press past their comfort zones.  At the same time, we have to give them freedom to “rest as needed”.  Perhaps communicating this to congregations will liberate them from the fear of being judged if they take a break.

Here’s the truth.  There are some who come from church cultures where it’s not uncommon to praise and worship through song/music for 45 minutes to over an hour.  There are others who have never engaged in a flow of 2 or more songs back-to-back.  Worship is a spiritual discipline – and I might add, isn’t always defined by standing and singing.

So what do we do?  Communicate that worshipers can “rest as needed”.  Communicate it frequently.  Communicate it lovingly.  At the same time, encourage your congregations to push further and deeper into their expressions of worship than before.  Encourage them past their comfort zones.

I’d love to hear your thoughts!  Comment below.

About the Picture:
Photo by Chris Moncus Photography, for Taylor Made Training.  After a series of “bear crawls” and “crab walks” through the surf  of the Atlantic Ocean on St. Simons Island’s East Beach, my arms and legs decided that “R.A.N.” was in order.  No pain, no gain.  And of course, Mr. Moncus was right there to capture my defeating moment.

Hey Everybody,

For the next few days I will be posting a new series on the blog called “What Regimen Training Taught Me as a Worship Leader”.  This is the first installment of the series and I hope that it will be helpful to those of you who lead worship in your churches.  The truth is, these leadership aspects are applicable to so many areas of life and should not be restricted to leading worship.

Before we get into the series, I need to setup some background info.

What is “Regimen Training”?

Regimen is an outdoor training program led here on St. Simons Island by Eric Taylor and Matt Morgan.  We’ve met in various places across the island but have been meeting at the Coast Guard Station over the last several months at 6:00 AM on Monday – Thursday.  My goal is to make 2 mornings per week, though I’d like to do more.  This is group training – some would call it boot camp, but not quite.

I’ve been involved in “Regimen” for about 1-1/2 years, off and on.  Unfortunately, there has been more “off” than “on” lately, but I’m trying to get back into it.

Over and over during the last 1-1/2 years I have observed principles that our trainers are using that easily carryover into worship leadership, or leadership of any type.  I’d like to use this series to share them with you … so be sure and come back each day.  If you aren’t a subscriber to the blog, now’s a good time to subscribe – you can receive an email when a new blog is posted, or subscribe via RSS.

Here’s a video clip from one of our recent sessions … as you watch this, I hope you’re asking yourself the question … “what in the world can I learn about worship leadership from THIS?”.  Stay tuned – the answers are coming this week.

(photo credit:  Chris Moncus Photography)
(video credit:  Taylor Made Training)

Well, off and on, that is … if you missed it on my Facebook page this morning … have a peak into our 6:00 AM “Regimen” training program.  I missed about 2 months already this year due to injury and “lifestyle” issues …

As an extra treat, a fellow “TheWorshipCommunity.Com” member and “Sunday Setlists” contributor happened to be on St. Simons Island for vacation this week and joined me … HL McConnell from Lakeland, FL … we got to workout and later, relax and talk “worship ministry” over some coffee.

Here’s a sneak peak into the morning … come join us sometime!  For more info on the “Regimen” program and other offerings from this trainer, go to TaylorMadeTrainingCenter.Com.

So a couple of days ago I wrote this post about being motivated during “the dip“.  I’ve been in a serious “dip” lately with my fitness routine, eating habits, etc.  I talked to our trainer, “Eric” this morning, and he said it happens to everyone.

We were out late last night enjoying a big fall festival with the kids in Savannah – so we didn’t even get home until after 11:00 PM last night.  The 5:15 AM wakeup call for regimen is the LAST THING I wanted to deal with – especially since my supper was a bag of chips and a Diet Coke.

I dug deep and showed up this morning – after all, I did PAY for it.  It was tough … my shoulders were on fire.

The routine was called “Progression”.  You progress from a simple squat (there’s nothing so simple about it really), into a full series of exercises.  The keys to this routine were:

* don’t go to fast – take your time, rest as needed
* hold each exercise, have good form – don’t rush through the motion, but stop in each “progression”

1.  50 squats
2.  40 squats, progress into a thrust position
(ie. standing, do a squat, go into a thrust position, which is like a pushup/plank position w/o the pushup, stand up do it again)
3.  30 squats, thrust, pushup
(ie. #2, but this time, when you go to thrust position, hold for a second, do a full pushup in that position, stand up, do it again)
4.  20 squats, thrust, legs out/in (ie. like a horizontal jumping jack), pushup
(ie. squat, into thrust/plank position, spread legs out wide, legs back in, do pushup, stand up, do it again)
5.  10 squats, thrust, leg in/out, pushup, full stand/jump burpee
(ie. squats, into thrust/plank,  legs out, in, do the pushup, and complete by standing and raising hands fully over head, repeat)

I think I was the last one to finish.  I joined my comrades for a bonus lap around the Coast Guard Station.  My issues this morning were all upper body issues.  I think my legs have gotten better, as the squats weren’t killing me like they used to.  But by #3 where we were adding the full pushup, my shoulders were burning like crazy … all out hurting.  I’d take a break for a few minutes, but found no relief.

No pain?  No gain.

Hey Everybody,

I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not I should be posting “regimen training” updates here on FredMcKinnon.Com.  After all, this blog is about worship, leadership, music, faith … but wait.  This blog is called “FredMcKinnon” dot com.  So, really, it’s also a lot about ME.  (oh, how self-centered that sounds)!

Since starting the “regimen” training back in May of this year, I’ve lost 20 pounds, at least a few inches, and feel a million times better about myself.  It’s only twice a week, so I decided to post it here.  We only have 3 more sessions to go, unfortunately … and unless I “re-up” and pay the fee again for a 3rd time, I won’t be continuing … at least, with the group. I hope that things work out where I can continue with the group, I’ve invited a bunch of people to join us … wishing my friend Russ Hutto would get over here and do it with me!

Anyway – this morning was called “Hurricane Taylor” … and it was all about cardio intervals.  After are routine dynamic warmups (bunny hops, knee pulls, Russian walks, walking lunges, karaoke/tapioca sidesteps, etc.) we walked down to the beach … in the dark.  Even at 6:15 the sun was still behind hiding under the ocean.

We had four cones spread out at 25 yards each, marking a 100-yard course.  (I’m not sure they weren’t a bit closer than 25 yards).  Our routine was to walk to the first cone (25 yards), jog to the next cone (25 yards), hard jog to the 3rd cone (25 yards), and sprint to the final cone (25 yards, for a total of 100 yards).  After letting your heart rate recover (click the image above for a full-size heart rate/distance/speed image from my Garmin Forerunner 50) for 90 seconds, you sprint as hard as you can 100 yards back to the starting point.  We did this 4x.

Then we grabbed a partner and did “Tabata Sprints” … 2 cones were setup about 20 feet or so apart …
You have 20 seconds to run back and forth between the cones as many times as you can, and after the 20-second sprints you have a quick, 10-second recovery period.  You do this 8x.  The goal is to maintain your reps, or beat them.  I sagged halfway through, but was able to maintain my 3 “laps” in 20-seconds for the final rounds.  Then, it’s your partner’s turn.  It’s a 4:00 interval, and believe me, it’s tough.

My buddy Bryan over at PursuingYahweh has resumed his posts on “Fitness Fridays” … so I’m joining back in.  Today … just returned from Gnat’s Landing where I consumed an incredible bacon cheddar burger and fries.  Fitness Fridays?

Seriously, all is going well for me.  For those who are regular readers here (I love ya!), you know I committed to an outdoor regimen training program about 10 weeks ago.  I’ve lost around 15 pounds, but more importantly, I’ve lost several inches and gotten stronger.  I’m more motivated than EVER now that my lovely wife started saying “I can REALLY see your muscles and that you’re toning up” … Oh Yeah, Baby.

I have a recurring, chronic back injury where my lower, lumbar area just goes out from time to time.  I pray that God just heals that thing completely … that would be awesome, but it came back Tuesday.  We were doing something called “plyometric jumps” … you basically squat down very low, and then swing your arms and jump as high into the air as you can, and just a little forward.  We go 25-30 yards, turn around, and bring it back.  It’s hilarious – looks like a man-made, adult-frogger game.

These usually aren’t the best thing for my lower back – I totally forgot that, was feeling good, a bit competitive (my co-worker, Steve, was right beside me, jumping faster and higher than I), so I let it rip with only a few yards to go and BOOM – there she went.  I managed to finish the routine and even went back yesterday.  I have been icing it and stretching a lot.  It hurts, but it’s kinda like living by faith – you gotta press through, regardless of what you think, feel, or hear.  I managed to job about a mile this morning, then mow the lawn … that didn’t do wonders for the ole’ back, but I’m not just laying around on it, that’s for sure.

Today, I’m wearing shorts that a few months ago, were uncomfortable to button.  Now, they will fall right down without a belt.  Belt is on 2nd notch, almost the 3rd.  That’s results.  So yeah, I’m bragging here.  Who really cares?  I doubt anyone, but I’m shouting it.  I’m excited, proud, and most of all, pleased that I’m finally in obedience to God in this serious issue of my life.

God has been wrestling with me for a couple of years about my lifestyle and my health.  I’ve ignored the voice of the Holy Spirit over and over.  Finally, I said “OK”.  You could say I was a bit forced – I’d come to the place where I felt like my Spiritual walk was on a stand-still until I was obedient.  I’m thankful for a relentless God.  There’s nothing like the peace of knowing you are in obedience.  Granted, I’ve got plenty of areas where the struggle lives on daily.

How about you?  How’s your fitness?  Where are you closing your ear to that still, small voice?

Take the weekend and discuss!  See you on Sunday!

Hey Everyone,

So – I’ll still give you a “Fitness Friday” update (part of Bryan Patrick’s Fitness Fridays blog carnival) …. but I’m bringing back FreePlay Friday today as well!

Fitness Friday:
I renewed my commitment to our “Island Regimen” program here with Eric Taylor.  We just completed Week 1 of a new, 12-week session.  It’s harder because it’s nearly 85-90 degrees and 100% humidity, even though it’s only 6:00 AM.  I find it harder to breathe when it’s that hot and muggy.

Several folks have been asking on Facebook about this exercise I keep referring to called a “burpee”.  Eric got me a great video – so enjoy.  (I have no clue who this actually IS in the video, it’s not us)

Here’s a copy/paste of our routine from yesterday:

_______________________________________

Now onto FreePlay Friday -

I just wanted to celebrate – I’m hooking up with the rest of my family, and we’ll be celebrating several birthdays – my brothers, my nephews, and my Dad’s.  Also, yesterday was my parents 48th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY.  What a blessing to be able to have a Godly heritage with a functional family that has given us love and modeled a Christ-like example.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Hey Gang,

I’m posting today as part of the “Fitness Fridays” blog carnival hosted over at PursuingYahweh.Net.

I FINISHED THE REGIMEN. That’s right – 8 weeks ago I jumped into what was left of the 12-week session ran by Eric Taylor here on St. Simons Island.  It was grueling and painful.  After the first regimen I could barely move for 3 days.

Yesterday was the end of the 12-week session (8 weeks for me) and though I was unable to do the “official measurements”, I know that I’ve lost around 10 pounds, definitely lost some inches, and have toned up quite a bit.  I feel better, I sleep better, and I feel better about myself personally, emotionally, and spiritually.

But it’s not over.  Eric decided to continue “Regimen” through the summer, so I’ve committed to another 12-week session.  I’ll have to miss 2 weeks in July due to the National Worship Leader Conference and a family vacation, but that’s OK . I’ve also recruited some of the guys from our church to come join in the pain.

So, that’s it … I rewarded myself yesterday by going to Chick-Fil-A and enjoying a large, peach milkshake.  I love peach ice cream, peach anything – and when I saw that flavor several weeks ago, I was bummed.  I had restraint and didn’t get it … but after working so hard, a reward was due.  And it was worth every calorie.

OK – so what’s happening with YOU?  What’s on the docket for your weekend?  Let me hear it.

Hey Gang,

So I’m back with a new installment of “Fitness Friday”, part of the blog carnival hosted by Bryan Patrick over at PursuingYahweh.net.  We’re taking Fridays to blog about our quest for better fitness – something I’ve been lacking for a LONG TIME.

So must of you know by now that I started an outdoor “Regimen” training program about 7 weeks ago.  Tomorrow is the final week, so I have two more sessions.  But, I am opting in for a new 12-week session that starts immediately after this one ends.  So anybody out there who is local, you can jump in and join the punishment starting Tuesday June 23.  Just let me know and I’ll get you the details.

So here’s a pic from our trainer’s blog of us getting started at 6:00 AM, as the sun is coming up over the ballfields at Mallory Park.

Doesn’t that just look glorious!? (do lateral jumps over those hurdles, back and forth for 30-seconds, 5 times … I promise you’ll be winded).

I can’t believe I’m about to signup for another 12-week session.  I’m trying to get my buddies to go along, and have already recruited one of our pastors on staff at SSCC, and perhaps more.

This morning I weighed 221.5.  I’ve consistenly been less 225 or less the last week or so.  I think the big drop this AM was a result of about 2-3 hours of either food poisoning or some stomach bug that kept me up most of the night.  Yuck.

Well, that’s a wrap for now.  You can see the exercises we are doing and fitness/nutrition info on our trainer’s site at:
getfitwitheric.blogspot.com

Hey Gang,

So I missed the “Fitness Fridays” post last week – sorry about that.  I’m posting about my recent commitment to better fitness as a part of my friend Bryan’s blog carnival called “Fitness Fridays” hosted over at PursuingYahweh.net.  Bryan is talking about “Family Fitness” this week.  Check it out, and then follow the other links to see how others are doing.

OK – so I’ve just completed by first 6-weeks in the “Regimen Training” with an incredible group of folks along with Eric Taylor, our trainer.  We have two weeks remaining (4 sessions) before the 12-week program is completed.  (I came along about 2/3 of the way into the first 6-week session).

Eric has a great blog where we posts our daily routines and some nutrition suggestions.  Check it out – and if you scroll down far enough, you’ll see some videos of yours truly.  He’s using BlogSpot for his blog (I need to educate that boy on the wonders of WordPress) so I can’t grab any embed code or plant the vidoes here.  Sorry.

Last week was brutal – both Tuesday and Thursday were perhaps the hardest days yet for me – probably because they really hit areas of strength where I’m the weakest.

This week was a blast.  We did a lot of “soccer camp/football camp” type drills.  Any of you folks who ever played those sports will know shuffles, L-Drills, cone drills, sprints, etc.  They were a lot of fun.  Eric was timing us on a stop watch, so we had chances to “beat our time” in each set.

I also got a great workout in our local gym, and discovered the “Gravitron” machine – something that uses weight to assist you in doing dips, chinups, and pullups.  My arms are still hurting.

Joy (my wife, who is also a personal trainer/fitness instructor) keeps telling me to stop getting on the scales all the time.  She insists it’s not about weight loss, but about how I feel.  She reminds me that I’m gaining muscle, and it weighs more than fat.  Eric tells me the same thing.  Still, I’m obsessed with getting on the scale.  I want to break 220 really badly.  This morning I was 222.5.  I was over 230 when we started.

I’m beginning to actually enjoy this.  It’s hard.  Especially the 5:15 AM wakeup time.  But it’s worth it.

FOOD:
It’s really tough eating healthy.  Not because I don’t like it (which to a degree, is true) … but we’re always on the go with 4 kids.  We joined a new pool complex here, and we’re spending hours there in the afternoon – many times through dinner time.  Swimming makes you hungry, and you get stuck there wanting to eat, and only having junk food in the concession stand.  The only way to beat that is proactively planning and taking food with you all the time – again, a tough thing to manage when you’re on the go, and have 4 kids to chase around.  I’m doing pretty good, and have resolved to at least have a good, healthy breakfast and lunch … then just go with whatever I can swing for dinner.

HOW ARE YOU DOING?

Hey Gang,

Here’s my “Fitness Fridays” update, in collaboration with my friend Bryan at PursuingYahweh.net.  Bryan has an awesome post today where he interviews the National Director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes Health & Fitness on “Channeling Stress”.  Be sure to check it out.

Truth be told, ministry is one of the most stressful jobs on the planet.  You’d think “it shouldn’t be”, but ask anyone in full-time ministry, and I guarantee they’ll say it can be very stressful.  I’ve been reading about how stress releases a hormone called “cortisol” into our bodies, and though in small amounts this is a great thing … the inability to relax and de-stress keeps that cortisol pump running.  One of the main things we see from that is “increased abdominal fat”.  So, ongoing stress could really be affecting that gut – just as much (or more than)  your beer!

I am convinced that great, overall fitness has to include emotional and spiritual well-being, and not just physical fitness.  They are all connected, without a doubt.  Since starting my regimen training 4 weeks ago, I feel better, I’m more confident, and I’m sleeping better. So stress management is critical.

Here’s a brief recap of some of the activity from this week’s regimen training.

SHORT TERM GOAL ACCOMPLISHED:

OK, don’t laugh – but one of my short-term goals was to be able to first jog a 1/2 mile without stopping, then a full mile.  It’s pitiful that I couldn’t do that, but I’m telling you … I couldn’t.  This week (Monday afternoon) I went to the gym and jumped on the treadmill and gave it a shot.  It’s a bit easier on the treadmill than running outdoors on the street .. plus, I had my earbuds and “Fox News” to keep me distracted.  I did a brisk 1/2 mile walk (around 3.5 speed on the treadmill) and then kicked it up to 4.8 speed and jogged my first 1/2 mile without stopping.  It felt so good, I kept going and finished 1 full mile.  I then slowed it back down to 3.5 and walked another 1/2 mile, then sped back up to 4.8 and jogged another 1/2 mile, and cooled down with a final 1/2 mile.  So I pulled 3-1/2 miles in around 38 minutes and felt really good about myself.

TUESDAY REGIMEN:

We’ve moved from Epworth by the Sea location to the ballfields at Mallory on St. Simons.  On Tuesday, in addition to our normal warmup routine, we did circuit training that consisted of:

Station 1:  Jump Rope (1 minute, 1 minute fast/different, 1 minute of combo jump rope, pushups, and burpees)
Station 2:  Kettle Bells (various exercises for shoulder and upper body strength)
Station 3:  Hurdles (plyometric jumps)
Station 4:  Ladder Drills (agility training, cardio)

THURSDAY REGIMEN:

Our first “regimen in the rain” for me.  Just after we started warmups on the tennis courts, the rain started pouring.  The trainer said “ya’ll can leave if you want”.  Yeah, who’s gonna be the wimp that decides to leave?  Not me.  We finished our regular warmups and then did the following drill:

#1:  10 pushups, sprint across tennis court and back, count to 10 slowly, start over.  (4 sets)
#2:  10 lunges, spring across and back, count to 10 slowly, start over (4 sets)
#3:  10 plyometric jumps, sprint across and back, count to 10 slowly, start over (4 sets)
#4:  combo:  3 pushups, 4 lunges, 3 plyometric jumps, sprint, count to 10, start over (4 sets)

Stretch and cool down.

At this point, I’m 4 weeks into it, and have 4 weeks remaining.  I need to figure out how to earn the extra $ to re-up, because this is so good for me.  I’m learning a lot about myself, but more importantly, I’m seeing some spiritual benefits as well.  I’m hearing things that apply to me as a leader, and lessons and encouragement that can be applied during fitness training, but also as a father, husband, and worship leader.

As for weigh-in?  It various a lot.  I started well over 230, and I’m consistently down around the mid 220′s now, so I’m down around 8-10 pounds lost.  That’s not a lot of weight for 4 weeks, but I’m also adding muscle (I hope!), and unlike the fad diets where I’d melt off 10-15 pounds in a week (been there, done that several times), this weight is coming off the RIGHT WAY.  (so says my wife, the best fitness instructor and trainer in the world).

That’s a wrap.  How ’bout you?

Hey Gang,

So once again I’m joining by friend, Bryan Patrick over at PursuingYahweh.net for his “Fitness Fridays” blog carnival.  This is temporarily taking the place of my “FreePlay Friday” event.

So … here I am … I’ve completed my third week of “outdoor island regimen training” on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 6:00 AM with trainer, Eric Taylor from The Fitness Forum Blog.  Here’s a brief rundown (as best I can remember) of the two mornings.  (note, I’m proofing this and realize this entry is quite long.  I realize that 99% of the folks who visit this blog won’t have time to read all of this.  I am OK with that.  Some stuff I write intentionally short to try and maximize readership.  Today’s journaling is about me, and is for me.  You are welcome to read it all and comment, but I understand if you scan and say goodbye!)

Tuesday 6:00 AM Session:
The regular warmup stuff, bunny hops, lunges, sprints, high knee kicks, knee pulls, butt kickers, etc … usually about 15 minutes worth.

Then to the tennis courts where we did some circuit training:

Station 1:  squats on the TRX device (a bungee cord-type device), 30 seconds, sprint to next station
Station 2:  “sledgehammer” like action with 10-pound medicine ball (hold all w/ extended arms over head, throw down, pick up, do again and again, etc) – 30 seconds, sprint to next station
Station 3:  burpees (donkey kicks – stand up, go down to 4-point stance, kick legs back, come back in, stand up, repeat) – 30 seconds, sprint to next station
Station 1:  squats on TRX modified to do a “row” pull back up – 30 seconds, sprint to next station
Station 2:  axe swinging with 10-pound medicine ball, 30 seconds, sprint to next station
Station 3:  speed skate lunges, 30 seconds, sprint to next station

Station 1, Station 2, Station 3:  60 seconds, do both exercises 30-seconds each
After about a 2-minute water break we did a 4-lap relay race around the tennis courts, followed by sit ups.

Thursday 6:00 AM Session:
I almost skipped it, as my lower back has been hurting badly – a chronic, recurring injury from 8+ years ago.  I decided to go in hopes that my back would loosen up with the exercise.  It did, though by Thursday PM it was very tight and hurting badly again.  Wore an ice pack belt all evening.

Regular warmups.
Circuit:  4 cones about 20-30 yards apart.

#1:  Speed Walk to 1st Cone, Jog to 2nd Cone, Sprint to 3rd cone, Bear Crawl to 4th cone (beginning), and repeat 4 times with no stopping or breaks.
#2:  Sprint to 1st Cone, Lunge to 2nd Cone, Sprint to 3rd cone, Lunge to 4th cone (beginning), and repeat 4 ties with no stopping or breaks.

*it’s still a “go at your own pace” feel, and I couldn’t do all the lunges, had to walk through some of those, but was also trying to listen to my back.

Field Exercises:
Stuff like planks (pushup position, right side, left side), jumping jacks, windmills.  My lower back caught on the windmill stretch, and I had to take it easy.

Afterwards we all weighed in and had our body fat tested.  I was fully dressed, and weighed in at 231 … a bit disapointing, since I’d weighed in at 226 earlier that AM – can’t believe my soaking wet clothes and shoes weigh 5 pounds, but maybe they do.  Also took our Body Fat – I came it at around 26%.  Over the final 5 weeks, we’re in a challenge to see who can see the biggest change there.

Food – Natural and Spiritual

Lastly, I want to talk about food.  I love to eat.  LOVE to eat.  I’ve been changing my eating habits, and I think it’s paying off.  I was bad this morning, eating a chocolate cheese danish and “pork pops” (imagine a cheese biscuit with sausage all compressed into a ball) at Sweet Mamas w/ our weekly Friday AM family b’fast.  But, I came home and jogged/walked a good couple of miles, and then drank a protein shake with a banana and strawberries blended up in it.  Plan to eat a light lunch (salad or maybe some stew) and ate fairly healthy all week.  (I did splurge and have pizza on a date with my wife Wednesday).

Natural food is only one element of wellness.  I’ve also had a steady diet of spiritual food this week, staying consistent with my morning devotionals.  God’s Word is coming alive to me again, which sadly – I’d grown very complacent in my Bible Study time.

All this to say … “yes Lord, I will do as You say”.

How are you doing out there?

FreePlay Friday (temporarily discontinued – to resume soon)

Hey Everybody,

Today I’m doing “Fitness Friday” – a blog carnival hosted by my friend Bryan Patrick over at PursuingYahweh.Net.  I met Bryan at the re:create conference in Franklin, TN in February.

In light of my recent commitment to fitness plan, I thought I’d take a break from “FreePlay Friday” and jump in with Patrick here.  Don’t worry – you can always post your own random comments here, and I’ll throw in the family, life stuff in “Fitness Fridays” anyway!

Island Regimen Training

I first talked about this last week in my post “I Almost Died This Morning“.  I’ve started a new training program called “Regimen Training” with a great group of men and women.  It’s led by a guy named Eric Taylor who delights in kicking our butts twice a week.  Eric just started a new blog called “The Fitness Forum”.  If you’re interested in health and fitness, check it out.

We meet at 6:00 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Our 6:00 AM warmups include stuff like:

* bunny hops back and forth across the workout area
* slow lunges
* faster lunge walks
* high knee kicks
* some kind of sideways shuffle thing
* quick sprints
* vertical leaps

Then, we move to any number of classic outdoor exercises like pushups, squats, lunges, dips, to some more “unique” exercises I can’t begin to describe.  We’re doing some running, too.  For example on Tuesday, we jogged to a nature trail that is 1/2 mile long, and loops all through the woods.  (very few straightaways)  We had to sprint through it, then rest a minute or so, then sprint through it again.  Yesterday, we hit the same track but this time we ran and stopped at every stretch station along the way and did pushups or various exercises.  We’re doing things like “bear crawls” and “crab walks” where you get down on your hands and toes (no knees on the ground) and crawl around, low to the ground.  Man, that hurts.

So I’m starting this brutal nonsense in horrific shape.  Topping the scales around 235 lbs (approx 6 ft tall), horrible eating habits, horrible resting habits, and no desire to exercise.  I’m weak all over – I can barely do 10 pushups.  I’m one of the youngest in the class, and definitely the most out of shape.  You can see from the picture above – who looks the sweatiest?  (I’m the guy in the grey Georgia Bulldog T-Shirt!).

I’ll be talking about it more … but the bottom line is that I have to make a change.  Truth is, if I only do this 2 days a week, and I only have 6 more weeks to go … it won’t have the greatest impact.  I will need to supplement this and change a lot of things.  But I know God is telling me I have to do this.  If I continue living the way I was living, I’m living in disobedience and rebellion.  Not a good place.

If you’re interested in posting about your journey in Fitness (or if you’re inspired to START), join Bryan’s new “Fitness Fridays” blog carnival.

Last night I downed a dose of NyQuil for the 2nd night in a row.  I went to bed, hoping to wake up free of this horrific head cold and congestion.  Before going to sleep, I posted one last Twitter message that said:

“OK – Night 2 of NyQuil, Tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM my life will change. For the better? We’ll see – will blog it in the AM (if I’m able)”

My alarm went off at 5:30 – way too early.  But I’d already committed to it, and off I went.

Today I began a 9-week venture called “Outdoor Regimen”.  It’s an outdoor, boot-camp style cross training class, led by fitness instruction Eric Taylor.  I’ve blogged about my weight, my physique, and the conviction I’ve had about my body.  I finally committed to do something about it.  I shelled out some serious cashola which will help me feel the pain in more ways than one.  I’ve got a crew who is holding me accountable.

I thought I might die this morning – but I survived.  Session 2 is right around the corner, and I’m already dreading it.  But this is something I’ve just got to do.

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.  (ESV – YouVersion.Com)

Needless to say, I GOT MY BUTT KICKED.

Hey Ya’ll,

I’ve discovered “heaven on earth”. It’s been in the frozen section at the local grocery store all this time, and had it not been “buy one get one free”, I likely would’ve overlooked it.

Joy sent me to the grocery store to get something necessary … milk, eggs .. something like that. But I found heaven on earth, and ushered it into my home. Now, it’s been ushered into my body … and thankfully, after a couple of weeks in my home .. it’s all gone.

May God forbid this from EVER being on sale again.

I suppose I’d better go to the gym now.  Have a great weekend.

Hey Everyone -

In my previous post, I warned that I had an announcement to make, and I wasn’t excited about it at all. So, here it goes.

I’ve been in sin. I’ve willingly, knowingly disobeyed God and grieved the Holy Spirit, over and over.

Got your attention? Good!

I am 36 years old, and I’m out of shape. My temple is a wreck. I weigh more than ever before. At an even 6-feet, I weigh in around 230 pounds. That’s french fries, burgers, ice cream, Coke, more Coke, supplement with Coca-Cola, a big cold glass of orange juice before bed, purple grape juice all the time, and boxes full of sugar cereal.

I’ve been unhappy about it for a long time. It’s not getting better. I love food. I’m addicted to eating junk. I sense God saying “you are destroying your body”. I feel the grief of the Holy Spirit, yet I do it anyway.

I’m being too spiritual? Are you kidding! I promise you, the Holy Spirit speaks to us about our diet and lifestyles. Do we listen?

I’m a “dates” guy – “all in” or “all out” .. i love to lean on special dates to make things happen. So, I didn’t want to start dieting prior to my Nashville trip. So, I said “in honor of my Risen King, and to celebrate His New Life of Resurrection, the the NEW LIFE that HE gave to ME, I chose Easter Sunday as the last day of this lifestyle.

So yesterday, I started my “diet”. For the millionth time, I started another diet. Really, I hope it’s more than a diet. I hope it’s a lifestyle change. I decided to humble myself, and blog about it for the ACCOUNTABILITY.

One of my new blog/worship leader friends, Rich Kirkpatrick, posted this post about how he did the same thing – it was an amazing change. You inspired me Rich! Great job!

This one is for the team. It’s for God. It’s for Joy. (ya know, they say losing weight and getting in better shape is GREAT for your SEX LIFE, haha!). This is for the Kids.

So, I created a new category called “Fitness” and I’ll post my progress.

OK – so this isn’t a revelation teaching of the Word. This isn’t a new song. It’s not a piano solo. It’s not about worship leading … but it’s me.

Thanks for reading!
For the Kingdom,
Fred