The Weekly Word: March 7, 2021

What I've Been Thinking About...
A few weeks ago I walked past a neighbor who was out for a run. I said hello and went on with my day. Later that afternoon I saw her walking the same loop that she ran in the morning, this time her husband was by her side. I went to high school with this woman's son which puts her age around 60. I was impressed with her commitment to her health. Two workouts in one day? How crazy! I was so impressed that it got me thinking...

There is a quote out there that I once heard that goes something like this: You declare what is important to you by what you spend your time on. The woman mentioned above workouts regularly and spends her time exercising outdoors. Sometimes, this individual does so while chatting with her significant other. To me, that shows a strong commitment to physical fitness and overall well-being. If you say your health is important to you but you don't workout, drink excess calories, eat fast food, and spend your nights watching Netflix rather than sleeping 7+ hours, I would venture to say that your health doesn't matter to you. Your actions do not match what your mouth says. We learned this year just how vulnerable we are as humans with this virus. We need to take action and try to be as healthy as we can be!  

News & Notes
Mother Nature gave us a glimpse of things to come this week as we had great weather for a day or two this week. Then, I woke up Saturday morning to the sight of snow and just shook my head. Mother Nature is one cruel mother!

That being said, we had a busy weekend as our daughter turned three on Friday. She received her first horseback riding lesson at Bay Ridge Stables and she loved it. The trainer there was awesome and would recommend her to anyone with a young child. Then, we moved on to getting her favorite food which was a burger and fries from Silvershell Counter + Kitchen in the Easton Public Market. This is a somewhat regular stop for us and we befriended one of the employees who seems to run the show there. When she came out to give us our food she had a Gerbera Daisy with our food that she bought for Em at one of the shops in the market. It was such a kind gesture and things like have me looking forward to warmer weather and more interactions like this. So, if you are in Easton at their restaurant and see someone with their bandanna on like Rosie the Riveter, tell her Emilia sent you! They have some great food there.

Lastly, birthday dinner had the best moment of the weekend. As the candles were lit and everyone began to sing happy birthday, the joy in her eyes was pretty special. With the way my memory has been as of late, I worry some of these memories will be lost as the years move on.  Luckily, I have the Weekly Word to refresh my memo

Fitness Tip of the Week
This week I recorded a video (click here to watch it) on a great way to boost strength and add a little muscle mass in the process. The concept, known as a ladder, is quite simple and broken down below...

• Pick an exercise that has a big bang for your buck. Think deadlift, squat, bench press or military press.
• After warming up, load the bar with a weight that you can perform for 6-8 reps. 
• As your work set begins, perform the exercise for 2 reps, take a break, 3 reps, take a break, and then 5 reps. Take a few minutes and then repeat. The goal will be to complete this 3 total times which equals 30 reps (2-3-5-2-3-5-2-3-5).
• If you want a variation with more of an absolute strength focus, perform 1-2-3 for the reps and use a weight that you can lift for 3-5 reps. 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3 equals 18 reps with a fairly heavy weight.  
• After you complete three ladders in one session, congratulations! You are well on your way to making big time improvements. When you perform the ladder next week, you will add 5 pounds to the bar for upper body lifts and 10 pounds for lower body. 
• Rinse and repeat for 4-6 weeks. 

One stipulation with the ladder is this: If you fail and cannot complete all the reps, you stop. You do not attempt any more sets once you fail. I have come to learn that if you fail to complete all the reps one week and try the same weight next time, the individual almost always is able to do so. I don't know why it always works this way but it does. Maybe it is magic!

What I've Been Reading...
Wisconsin Hunters Kill Over 200 Wolves in Less Than 3 Days 
There is so much that goes on in our country that gets slipped under the rug and I feel animal regulation is one of them. This week I finished reading American Serengeti which is a book that chronicles the amazing animals that once freely roamed this continent. Bison, Grizzly Bears, Pronghorns, Horses, Wolves, and more were once in abundance. Now, these animals are barely clinging on. I was a little disheartened that things like what is written in this article still exist. I am not anti-hunting. I just don't understand hunts like this.    

Quote of the Week
“Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground.” -- Theodore Roosevelt

I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck