Any word that follows “primal” takes on a new aura of mystique and raw power. So, “Primal Review” sounds much more daring than “A Review of Primal.” The new book “Primal” definitely falls in the first category, hence the blog title for Mark Batterson’s “Primal.” (Order today at this link)

I was one of the lucky bloggers selected for the “Primal” blog tour. So, being a follower of Batterson’s blog, and loving his catalog of books (“In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day,” and “Wild Goose Chase,” must reads), this was a great opportunity. It even felt like Christmas came a little early when the pre-release copy arrived

I was turned onto Batterson earlier this year at the first Catalyst event on the west coast. I picked up the first two books and dove straight in. What I really like about Batterson’s writing style is he always looks for ways to apply the knowledge. In fact, my best friend Chad and I frequently reference the “Wild Goose” as we apply those adventure principles to our journey. Batterson’s new book “Primal” is no different. The back jacket of the book really captures the heart with the statement:

Our generation needs a REFORMATION. But a single person won’t lead it. A single event won’t define it. OUR REFORMATION will be a movement of reformers LIVING COMPASSIONATELY, CREATIVELY, COURAGEOUSLY for the cause of CHRIST.

This reformation will not be forn of a new discovery. It will be the REDISCOVERY of something old, something ancient, SOMETHING PRIMAL.

Batterson takes a deep dive into what he proclaims is the primal essence of Christianity. This concept is drawn from the Great Commandment captured in the conversation Jesus had with the scribe as the Saduccees were drilling him. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30). Batterson has a great quote, which I find all of his books are full of, that amplifies the importance of this verse. “We can’t afford to be merely good at the Great Commandment. We’ve got to be great at the Great Commandment.“

The sub-title of “Primal” is, “A Quest For The Lost Soul of Christianity.” This quest is fueled by love. It takes you on a journey through these four primal elements:

The Heart of Christianity is primal compassion.

The Soul of Christianity is primal wonder.

The Mind of Christianity is primal curiosity.

And the Strength of Christianity is primal energy.

Like most of Batterson’s books, “Primal” is built in chapters that are easily digested. Don’t let that fool you though, they are packed with great perspective and knowledge. If you like to underline when you read and take notes, get your pen ready! The book is broken up into the four primal elements mentioned above. The way the Great Commandment is stated makes for a great climatic build in the book. It begins with a Heart, primal compassion. A Heart that we receive first, then give out in compassion. It ends with Strength, the primal energy. Strength that we receive, then live out in the name of Jesus. The flow of these primal sections in the book puts an explanation point on the soul Christianity…taking it from a mild-tempered noun, into an adventure as a fearless verb!

Primal is an amazing picture of simple truths applied to real lives. Batterson captures these truths in life portraits from his experiences with family, friends, church planting, church leading, and world leaders. He has a flair for science and history. Batterson starts each chapter with a quote from someone that applies to wisdom ahead. If you are a twitter-head who likes tweeting quotes, yes I’m guilty, this book is packed full of them.

What I really love about Primal is the perspective. It’s the new perspective on timeless truth. It’s not an abstract truth pulled from several scriptures ladened with heavy theology. No, it’s straight from our savior Jesus captured in the Gospels of His disciples Mark and Luke. These primal truths are the block and tackle, everyday stuff, basics, nuts and bolts, instructions that we breeze right over. Or we get some of right more than others.

There is a reason super bowl championship teams are champions. They apply the principles of winning football every week. They practice the rudiments. They live and breath the key principles. They apply them in game-time. And most importantly, they build dynamic plays off of the foundational rudiments. So it is with these primal commandments. They can be applied in the most rudiment way and build into the most amazing life application where God’s glory and power is displayed.

Batterson has a great quote in Primal. It’s one of those that will stick with you. It really captures what I was trying to paint with the football analogy:

The quest for the lost soul of Christianity always leads us back to the Bible. But rediscovering the wonders of Scripture requires more than reading. That’s where the quest begins, but that’s not where it ends. Not if you want to get it into your soul. You have to meditate on it. Then you have to live it out. Meditating on it turns one-dimensional knowledge into two-dimensional understanding. Living it out turns two-dimensional understanding into three-dimensional obedience.

The new reformation is coming! I’m not just saying that because I drank the primal kool-aid Batterson served up in this book. I have the honor and privilege to work for the number 1 independent Christian Music label in the world, Integrity Music. I can say from first-hand experience that the reformation has begun…and like Batterson claims in the last chapter, “Amo Dei” will be the rallying cry. English translation, “Love God.”

The next reformation will be led by millions of reformers living compassionately, creatively, and courageously for the cause of Christ. It will be marked by broken hearts and sanctified imaginations. And the driving force will be the love of God. A love that is full of compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy.

If you haven’t picked up Primal, go get it now. You won’t read the Great Commandment the same ever again. It will take you out of where you are and encourage you to go where Jesus called all of us.

Okay, so this blog well exceeds my normal length…pushing over 1k words. I could go on for a thousand more…but I may loose ya I will continue the quest to unpack more wisdom nuggets packed in this book over my 10 Primal Days in January 2010. Until then check out more here at the official Primal movement.

Breathe In & Smile Out,

Chris

When God created woman he was working late on the 6th day
An angel came by and said: “Why spend so much time on that one?”

And the Lord answered:
“Have you seen all the specifications I have to meet to shape her ?”
“She must be washable, but not made of plastic, have more than 200 moving parts which all must be replaceable and she must function on all kinds of food, she must be able to embrace several kids at the same time, give a hug that can heal anything from a bruised knee to a broken heart and she must do all this with only two hands”.

The angel was impressed.
“Just two hands….impossible!
And this is the standard model?! “

“Too much work for one day….wait until tomorrow and then complete her“.

“I will not”, said the Lord. “I am so close to complete this creation, which will be the favourite of my heart.
She cures herself when sick and she can work 18 hours a day”.

The angel came nearer and touched the woman.
“But you have made her so soft, Lord”

“She is soft”, said the Lord, “But I have also made her strong. You can’t imagine what she can endure and overcome.“

“Can she think?” the angel asked.

The Lord answered:
“Not only can she think, she can reason and negotiate.”

The angel touched the womans cheek….
“Lord, it seems this creation is leaking! You have put too many burdens on her.”

“She is not leaking….it’s a tear” the lord corrected the angel
“What’s it for?” asked the angel.

And the Lord said:
“Tears are her way of expressing grief, her doubts,  her love, her loneliness, her suffering and her pride.”

This made a big impression on the angel; “Lord, you are genius.
You thought of everything. The woman is indeed marvellous!”

Indeed she is!
Woman has strengths that amazes man. She can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens.
She holds happiness, love and opinions.
She smiles when feeling like screaming.
She sings when she feels like crying, crys when she is happy and laughs when she is afraid.
She fights for what she belives in.
Stand up against injustice.
She doesn’t take “no” for an answer, when she can see a better solution. She gives herself so her family can thrive. She takes her friend to the doctor if she is afraid.
Her love is unconditional.
She cries when her kids are victorious. She is happy when her friends do well.
She is glad when she hears of a birth or a wedding.
Her heart is broken when a next of kin or friend dies.
But she finds the strength to get on with life.
She knows that a kiss and a hug can heal a broken heart.

There is only one thing wrong with her
She forgets what she is worth…

Many of us so much dread failure…Failure of any sort-In business,academics,relationships,life.We hate it…we don’t want to have anything to do with it!
Yet…Despite its apparent bitterness and the feeling of worthlessness usually associated with it,the experience of failure habours within it a disguised sweetness…an invaluable lesson learnt only in the failure class and taught in no other class…This lesson,if learnt well,will make that particular failure your last and act as a springboard to untold success.
Unfortunately,however,many who have failed are too blinded by tears to learn this lesson and so they miss this great opportunity,offered by failure and failure alone.And you can guess the result.They fail again…and again.
It is often preferable to fail in little things and succeed in big things than to succeed in little things and fail in big things.
*Failure teaches.
*Failure empowers.
*Failure motivates.
*Failure inspires.
*Failure breeds perseverance and endurance.It helps you rise again and to so much detest that fall as not to fall again.
*Failure enlarges your heart making it large enough to accomodate defeat as well as outstanding success.
*Failure broadens your mind and prepares your heart to meet life…Because real life has two sides:Success and Failure.You are not living until you’ve met both of them…
So,have you failed in anyway?Of course,I have.If you have,too,then welcome to the journey!Brace up.Cheer up.Gear up.
Move on.Life is too precious to be wasted wailing on the sidelines.Greatness awaits you.Meet life squarely.Live your life without fear…Boldly.Happily. Successfully.
And you will never fail again.

Tonight I walked in front of this old school I used to go to many years ago. It’s still the same but with minor differences. The swing sets are gone. Some bricks are mildly undone.

I wasn’t the cool guy at school. I was the silent type. I was shy. During recess, I had some funny jokes to tell, and I was sure that they were funny, but I wouldn’t dare to tell them. At some point some cool guy would walk in and say something funny. I remember I wanted to be like them. I didn’t want to be bullied. I wanted to laugh and yell and act like a little man.

I remember this very cute and cool girl at school. I was so much in love with her. I think she was too. But there was this thing. This limit. She had cool friends and I didn’t. Sometimes she would reach to me. Sometimes she would come to me and talk to me but every time she would do this, some cool friend of her’s would jump in ” Hey, why are you hanging out with this weirdo? ” and she would leave with that person.

So I ended up watching her evolve as a young woman through the years. During high school she stopped coming towards me. We now were in separate classes. Sometimes I would sit in the cafeteria and watch her. Her boyfriends would never treat her right. I wanted to beat the hell out of them and save her. I knew I was able to treat her right. But I never had the strength. I didn’t have it in my arms, I didn’t have it in my heart and I didn’t have it in my soul.

Then I became very sick. I stopped going to school. I stopped going everywhere. I stayed at home. I read. I wrote. I listened. I watched. I began to think. By myself. I began to talk. I became stronger. Maybe not in my arms, but in my heart and soul. And that’s 2 out of 3.

As the years flew by, she went away like the others. I stayed here in my little hometown. I was alone, but I was also with myself. I found myself through these difficult years. I built myself. And now, here I am.

And there she is.

Euphoria- subiectively positive state of mind for ones sicker than a dog; excessive jollity caused by drug usage or mental illness; sense of happiness, delight and strenght.

‘Vertical forms’, work by Mark Francis

Sister, Friend, Why!
Sister, friend, you are so beautiful.
Why do you let him put you down?
Yelling, screaming, hitting, insults, cries of pain.
Sister, friend, you are a child of God.
When are you going to let go and give it to God?
Start walking, run, don’t turn back.
Jesus is holding His hand out, smile and say, I am free.
Go, sister, friend, positive energy, laughing, smiling,
Beautiful face, tall and erect stature.
Welcome back, there goes my friend.
Welcome back….
LADYADRIENNES
Adrienne Clark Strachn
For all my special girlfriends

Sarà capitato a tutti, durante la carriera scolastica, di avere in classe dei compagni copioni, ovvero quelle persone che copiavano persino i temi di italiano.

Il dubbio che mi rodeva dentro allora era: “Ma poi non risulteranno uguali i nostri temi?”… ma a questo si rispondeva con: “Tranquillo, ho cambiato le parole!”

Tutto questo per dire che anche negli anni 60-70 in Italia era uso comune fare “i copioni”, ovvero prendere canzoni famose all’estero (Stati Uniti, Inghilterra, Francia) e metterci su delle parole italiane.

L’esempio di oggi? Il “mitico” Adriano Celentano con uno dei suoi più grandiosi successi del 1962:

…e a seguire la canzone originale del 1961 a opera del mitico Gene McDaniels:

Stranamente in questa versione italiana il significato della canzone resta lo stesso! Incredibile considerando quello che il nostro Adrianone Nazionale fece con “Stand by me”! Ma questa è un’altra storia…

Andre

I love our staple food, and I am lucky enough to eat it on a daily basis. How healthy are they though?

In Nigeria, our staple food consists of a variety of yam, cassava and brown rice. These can be prepared in any number of ways. They however, all have one thing in common. Since it makes sense to classify foods based on their highest nutritional content, the one thing they have in common is that Cassava, Yam and Brown rice are all carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates however, are the main culprit where weight gain is concerned. This is because; the final break down of carbohydrate in the body is simple sugar. I want to point out that when the supply of ingested glucose (glucose is the only usable form of simple sugar) is too high, the blood sugar level gets too high and the excess glucose must be eliminated from the bloodstream. This increased level of blood sugar triggers the release of insulin (the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels) to transport or make the excess glucose available to the body tissues.

Especially after exercise, when energy stores are low, the muscle tissue is the first point of call of the insulin-carried glucose. Glucose however can only be taken up by the muscle tissues at a gradual rate. If too much insulin-carried glucose is present at one time, the liver is the next stop.

The liver like the muscle tissue, also takes up glucose at a gradual rate and when the liver stores are full and there is still an excess supply of insulin-carried glucose in the bloodstream, the next stop is the adipose tissue where it is stored as fat. Unlike the muscle and liver, the adipose tissues take up glucose quite rapidly.

The rate at which glucose is released into the blood is an important issue as, if the ingested carbohydrates are already simple sugars or low in fibre, the digestion process will be shorter and they will be absorbed too quickly. This causes the pancreatic tissue to release an excess amount of insulin into the blood. Since the liver and muscle tissues only take up glucose gradually, the excess insulin-carried-glucose will by-pass the muscle and liver and be deposited in the adipose tissue where it is rapidly stored as fat.

This is where the quality and quantity of carbohydrates we eat comes in. I believe that by now you can see the danger in eating too much simple sugars or food low in fibre. The flip side to the coin is to eat complex carbohydrates as this will result in an intermittent release of glucose into the bloodstream which means that the pancreas will not release excess insulin into the bloodstream; which also means that most of the glucose will be stored in the liver and muscle tissues as opposed to being deposited as fat in the adipose tissue.

Our staple foods tend to be complex carbohydrates and that is great news but we definitely do not eat them on their own. Irrespective of how healthy they are, we cannot survive on carbohydrates alone. There are a number of ways in which we eat our staple food. For example, yam can be boiled and eaten with palm oil and pepper soup or yam when cooked, will be beaten to a paste to make pounded yam and eaten with ogbono soup (my favourite) or egusi soup, etc. Cassava can be used to make garri and eaten in a similar way. Brown rice can be eaten with stew, or made into jollof rice, or fried rice.

I mentioned above that the glucose we get from complex carbohydrates is slowly released into our blood stream. This is because it takes longer for our body to fully digest them (up to an hour). Well, it takes even longer when these complex carbohydrates are mixed with proteins and fat. In fact, when you eat carbohydrates with proteins, it takes about 3 to 4 hours for digestion to be completed.

The Nigerian staple food is clearly healthy to eat as they are complex carbohydrates. However, what we eat them with and how much we eat at any given time, also plays an important role in our weight management and overall well-being.

Look out for my future article on THE RIGHT WAY TO EAT TO BURN FAT! Until then, here are a few tips to follow:

• Eat moderately, not like there is no tomorrow. It does not matter how healthy the food is, if you eat too much, you will gain weight.
• When using Palm oil, choose that with little or no cholesterol and use it sparingly. Avoid palm oil or any other oil that is solid at room temperature.
• Eat at regular intervals – 3 to 4 hours and do not skip meals.
• Engage in a regular sporting routine so that you can balance out your input versus your output (depending on what your goal is).

Tejiri Orugbo
Certified Fitness Nutritionist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder – http://gymhawk.com

Psalm 61:3 “For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong Tower from the enemy.”

Proverbs 18:10 “The Name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous run into it, and are safe. [Set on high]”

Those are some of the most comforting and soothing words in the Bible. For those of us who know our righteousness in Christ and know our place with Him, there is a peace like no other. In just knowing that we are surrounded by the LORD, what is there to fear?

Have you ever seen a tower? I’m not talking about one of our modern day skyscrapers or some tall building. I’m talking about a defensive tower. Ones like you see on castles or today we see them in prisons and military bases. They are quite impressive.  Many towers were built to stand alone as watch towers and first lines of defense against an enemy.

Towers were far more then one might think by simply looking at them from the outside. Towers are huge. They have areas to sleep large amounts of men and they can hold and store large amounts of food. They were built high and up on high hills so the men stationed there could see far off.

See the spiritual similarities yet? First off, towers were built out of thick stone blocks. They were tough. Just like God sheltering us in His wings we are surrounded by strength. When you are inside the Tower, you are safe and secure. Towers had lots of room to store supplies and men. When you are inside a tower, you are surrounded by many defenders and you have plenty of provision.

In Christ, we are afforded the privilege of having many defenders. Psalm 91:11 says, “… he will give his angels charge over me lest I dash my foot against a stone…” I have my own personal army to protect me. One angel wiped out 185,000 men. 2 Kings 19:35 says, “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.” Now if one angel can do that, what on Earth do I have to fear?

In order to hold all those men for long periods of time, towers had large storage areas for food. In Christ, My Strong Tower, there are great huge storage areas for all the provision I will ever need. He is Jehovah Jireh, the all sufficient Lord my Provider.

Isn’t it amazing that in being my Strong Tower He is also being My Provider? God is so unexplainable. Once you think you have Him figured out. Something entirely new comes out and blows away all your other preconceived notions. God will not be confined in a box. He will not be given one label as if that’s all He is. JESUS IS, I AM. These are the only labels He accepts to describe Himself.

Jesus is your Strong Tower. In Him, are security, provision and vision. Run into Him and be safe.

BrianKnack.Com

Winter season is soon here with less paddling and more strenght training. Need some inspiration? Here’s a video with a couple of creative exercises, perfect for surfski paddlers! Enjoy…

Our resourceful décor team at Badec Bros Deco has created a wide range of contemporary mild steel Cubedec pots over the last two years.

Our Cubedec pots are manufactured out of 1,6mm mild steel sheets, which we fold and weld.  All our pots are manufactured with a round inner steel bar to support plastic planters, which come standard with all our pots, unless otherwise specified.

You can choose between three finishes for your Cubedec pot: rusted, mild steel finish, or powder coating in any colour you can dream of. This is merely to protect the steel frame of your pot from rusting. Our powder coating is SABS approved. Once the chosen finish has been applied, we seal the pot to protect it from rusting.

We can manufacture your Cubedec pot with a 3mm removable lip, constructed from angle iron, which serves to round off the pot and also to strengthen it. This lip will also hide the plastic liner in the pot. We normally use removable lips, when we construct dustbins, as this eases cleaning out the dustbin liner.

Should you wish to have your very own signature Cubedec pot, green screens, man-hole grid, range of planters for a shopping centre, modern pergola, Cubedec steel dustbin, interactive sculpture, Cubedec shelving, Cubedec miniature Zen garden box, 2010 Soccer World Cup décor, mild steel lamp shade, mild steel screen, Cubedec laser-cut logo, gabion counter, narration stand, gabion light cage, gabion bollard, gabion water feature, sculptured living wall, sculptured flagpoles, unique pot and drip tray, customized sculpture, Cubedec bench, trendy steel décor with your company logo emblazoned on it, mild steel inspirational slogan, steel laser-cut signage, mild steel mould, hanging sculpture, gabion pot, gabion wall or gabion terrace, wooden or steel feature poles, bar code trellis, Cubedec water feature, arch, sculpture or trellis, please feel free to contact our energetic and knowledgeable sales representative, Mareleen van Zijl, on her cell phone at 078 800 5112, the office number at 012 460 7990, or via e-mail at mareleen@badecbros.com  

She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to listen to your ideas and to stun you with our own creative ideas! You dream it, we manufacture it!

Badec Bros Deco will create a 3 dimensional render and calculate a quotation FREE OF CHARGE for you! We can deliver your unique Badec Bros Deco product(s) within 10 to 15 working days, upon acceptance of the design and quotation and the required 50% deposit. These services come standard and will not cost you a cent extra! We offer a 1 year guarantee on all our products.

Our resourceful décor team at Badec Bros Deco has created a wide range of contemporary mild steel Cubedec pots over the last two years.

Our Cubedec pots are manufactured out of 1,6mm mild steel sheets, which we fold and weld.  All our pots are manufactured with a round inner steel bar to support plastic planters, which come standard with all our pots, unless otherwise specified. 

You can choose between three finishes for your Cubedec pot:  rusted, mild steel finish, or powder coating in any colour you can dream of.  This is merely to protect the steel frame of your pot from rusting.

Our powder coating is SABS approved.  Once the chosen finish has been applied, we seal the pot to protect it from rusting.

We can manufacture your Cubedec pot with a 3mm lip, constructed from angle iron, which serves to round off the pot and also to strengthen it.  This lip will also hide the plastic liner in the pot.  It is very important to consider the measurements of your pot and liner, before adding a lip to the design, as you might end up with your liner to fitting into your pot.

Should you wish to have your very own signature Cubedec pot, green screens, man-hole grid, range of planters for a shopping centre, modern pergola, Cubedec steel dustbin, interactive sculpture,  Cubedec shelving, Cubedec miniature Zen garden box, 2010 Soccer World Cup décor, mild steel lamp shade, mild steel screen, Cubedec laser-cut logo, gabion counter, narration stand, gabion light cage, gabion bollard, gabion water feature, sculptured living wall, sculptured flagpoles, unique pot and drip tray, customized sculpture, Cubedec bench, trendy steel décor with your company logo emblazoned on it, mild steel inspirational slogan, steel laser-cut signage, mild steel mould, hanging sculpture, gabion pot, gabion wall or gabion terrace, wooden or steel feature poles, bar code trellis, Cubedec water feature, arch, sculpture or trellis, please feel free to contact our energetic and knowledgeable sales representative, Mareleen van Zijl, on her cell phone at 078 800 5112, the office number at 012 460 7990, or via e-mail at mareleen@badecbros.com. 

She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to listen to your ideas and to stun you with our own creative ideas! You dream it, we manufacture it!

Badec Bros Deco will create a 3 dimensional render and calculate a quotation FREE OF CHARGE for you! We can deliver your unique Badec Bros Deco product(s) within 10 to 15 working days, upon acceptance of the design and quotation and the required 50% deposit.  These services come standard and will not cost you a cent extra!

We offer a 1 year guarantee on all our products.

Who are my Sisters?
She is that Muslimah you walk past on the street, she is the one you sit next to on the bus, and she is also the one that shares your cubicle at the office. She is the one that stands next to you in salat at the Masjid, the one that shy away from the front rows.

Where do I find my Sisters?
The sisters are all around us, wanting to be identified, needing a hug and a smile. The next time you see that sister, on the street, at the supermarket, or on the bus offer her salaam, introduce yourself, tell her about the mosque where you offer you salat. Plant the seed of sisterhood and friendship, and let Allah, The Sustainer, sustain it and when it blossoms and fruits you shall benefit from it.
The Sister is not her hijab, she is not her clothes, she is one like you, and like you she strives and struggles. Maybe she is yet to prevail over her desires, so tell her about your experiences make du’a with her, join hands with her, together we are stronger.

What do I say to my Sister?
Say salaam alaikum, and wait to receive an even more beautiful response. Tell the sister your name and remember her name for the next time you will say salaam to her.
Don’t tag a sister with names like Hijabite/alhaja, she has a beautiful name you can use. She is just as nervous as you are; together we can explore and expand unchartered territories for the muslim women insha allahu.

BABY FITNESS- The Prodigy Warriors and Goddesses Program

*****Be sure to get approval from your pediatrician before working with your baby on this program*****

From Ray: Everyone said our baby would be doing pushups as soon as he was born. That was almost the case. I gave him a few days to rest up and acclimate himself to his new world. Then we got down to business.

We do this program every day. It is best to do this when your baby is in a good mood. Just as with adults, a cranky baby is in no mood to exercise.

 WARM UP

With you baby on his back, gently move his right elbow towards his left knee. Do this several times before switching. Move his legs up and down in a running motion for 15 seconds.

 Switch back to elbows and knees drill and finish warm up with 15 more seconds of running drill.

 RESISTENCE TRAINING

 Shoulder Presses

Again with baby on his back, have him grasp your index fingers. (Younger the baby, the more you’ll need to help)

Move his arms up and down, simulating shoulder presses. Your baby will provide resistance. Three sets of ten. Count them aloud and your baby will soon respond to the cadence.

 Lateral Side Raises

Baby on his back, arms at his sides, using the index finger grip. Raise his arms to the sides just past shoulder height. Three more sets of ten.

 Leg Press

Baby on back, press the palm of your hand against bottom of baby’s feet. Gently press legs in towards baby’s chest. He will press back. Until your baby gets better control of this movement, do only one set of five. Then begin to increase the repetitions.

 These movements develop muscle coordination and tendon, ligament and muscle strength. They’re a first step in helping your baby develop fine motor control.

 Continue to do these drills every day. Play upbeat music in the background and KEEP SMILING AND ENCOURAGING while you complete the drills. (It is absolutely fascinating to see how your baby responds to your facial demeanor)

 TUMMY TIME

After a few weeks, we moved to Tummy Time. At first it wasn’t pretty, with our child’s face mostly against the mattress. But after a few tries, he began to raise his head. We kept him occupied by clapping hands, snapping fingers and doing jumping jacks (Great way for Dad to get in some cardio)

 Start with just a few seconds of tummy time. Let your child progress naturally. Soon his head, neck, shoulders and lower back strength will dramatically increase. A few seconds of tummy time quickly becomes a minute, then five, then ten.

Many of us slept on our tummies, but now that is not considered a safe option, so highly supervised tummy time is crucial to help your newborn develop muscle strength and control.

 SIT UP TIME

 Every baby develops at a different pace. Around the five month mark, we began sit up time. Our baby was very resistant to this at first, but with patience and persistence, we were able to get him to sit on his butt while we held him by his shoulders.

 This drill will help your baby develop vital core strength, coordination and balance. Once he’s confident and smiling as he sits with your hands securely on his shoulders, advance to having him hold your fingers. With your guidance and reassurance, but no physical support, he will soon develop responsive strength in his midsection.

 Be sure to do this in a well cushioned area as there will be many “tip overs.”

 STAND UP DRILLS

 From Ray: I was sitting in a plaza with our son in a stroller. On the bench next to me was a young father who had his daughter doing stand up drills. The completive juices started flowing!

Begin by holding your baby under his arms and lift him to a standing position. The legs will be wobbly at first (and will remain so for some time) but soon the leg press drills you’ve been doing all along will provide the necessary strength needed. Your baby will push his legs straight. He’ll stand tall and you will smile deliriously!

As his leg strength, stability and confidence develop further, start to guide him along the floor. As yes, soon it will be one step in front of the other.

 We’re not trying to make super babies here. But the hope is that by starting very early, you will help you child develop strength, coordination, persistence and confidence.

Ray Salomone   Personal Trainer and Wellness Activist

Dr. Katina Ioannidis, Chiropractor

STOP POISONING OUR FUTURE

Contact:

Ray@GrecoRomanWellness.com   (212) 946-2090

Here are 10 top Gandhi quotations  in celebration of Gandhi’s Birthday

1. Strength

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Looking at this powerful image brought to us from : http://jwa.org/system/files/imagecache/default_full/mediaobjects/body_of_a_warrior.jpg

makes me feel so many things all at once: Pain,respect, pride,

awe,honor, strength,humility, love… It makes me think of my mom.

It makes me so happy that she’s  a warrior who is in it to win it. I’m

so blessed that she’s doing as great as she is.

And through this we shall reap and sow at the speed of light. We shall kiss and grow at the speed of light and through this we will clench our fists and face it all up front. We will sell our souls and buy the Gods and through this I thought it was the end, I though it was over. Not anymore, not anymore. Used to be something, used to be someone. I became many and we are now one.

The patient recalls leaving home and encountering three tall men on the streets. The men started harassing him verbally, and then they engaged in a fight. The patient was outnumbered and, although he put up quite a fight, was slowly losing the battle. As he was losing the fight, he remembered that he was dreaming and unlocked a lucid state of dreaming. He concentrated on himself and his energy and through a scream of anger, he became very strong. His muscles grew in size and a bright, red fire surrounded him. He then managed to destroy his enemies in a single blow. The patient then recalls wandering through this dream in search for a peaceful and quiet place, but he woke up soon afterwards.

 
The patient, however, went back to sleep and had another dream which resembles a nightmare. He remembers being some sort of ghost hunter. He was in a haunted house and suddenly a ghost appeared through the wall and fought him. The patient remembers falling in some sort of ghost world as physical contact was made and he managed to kill the ghost by drowning him in a lake. The patient then remembers finding himself in his hometown, walking on the streets. He recalls meeting a group of boys and one of them accidentally hit him will he was passing. The young boy argued that the patient should have moved out of the way. The patient said ” I was there first, you had to move. “. The young boy explained that his candies, that had now fallen on the ground, couldn’t be eaten anymore and the patient decided to buy him new candy to close the argument. The patient, however, had no money in his pockets. A strong feeling of helplessness came to birth within the patient who subsequently woke up soon afterwards.

It is often said that when a human being is sick or suffers from an illness, it is because the being is weak. However, the ones who are sick during a long period of time develop higher senses of self awareness. They care for themselves more than those who are occasionally sick. Some of them become wiser and appreciate life with more passion.

” One of our patients has never been sick in his entire life. After some analysis, the patient proved to be perfectly normal with no apparent signs of invincibility. His immune system was not different from the others, yet he still never caught a single sickness, illness or disease. When asked about the origins of this phenomenon, the patient tells us that he has never been sick because he never allowed bad or evil thoughts within his mind, body and soul. At one instance, he was walking outside while rain was falling heavily on him. ” Why do you stay under the rain? Come in our house before you catch a cold! ” one man said. But the patient laughed and replied ” If you let your mind believe that you need to shelter yourself from the cold, then the cold will make you sick. I can walk under the rain because I enjoy rain and its attributes.”