Together we can build bridges
Marc has created a Tabata demonstration video that you can follow at home in your living room.
There are eight exercises: Russian twists, ankle slappers, flutter kicks, leg raises, Spider-mans, mountain climbers, push-ups, and sit-ups.
Do a few arms and legs stretches to warm up beforehand and then get stuck into this great workout.
If you’re quite unfit at the moment and can only manage a few repetitions of each exercise then that’s okay.
The main thing is that you give your all for each 20-second workout period.
It’s all about steady progress and
getting better with each workout. Those who are very active may choose to do all eight exercises, take a minute’s rest then complete another round. It’s up to you!
Simply do the Tabata session every couple of days and then you’ll gradually increase your stamina.
If you have any questions feel free to email Marc: marc@ weighttrainingistheway.com.
The workout video is titled‘Quick Home Workout – When You’re Indoors Avoiding Coronavirus’.
You can find it on Marc’s YouTube health and fitness channel at www. youtube.com/c/weighttrainingistheway
Two summers ago, when life was free and easy, and you could go wherever you pleased: if you can still remember such a time? I managed to cross off an item from my bucket list, when I visited the Mull of Kintyre.
I don’t know what drew me there, the siren-like, doleful lament of the pipes on Paul McCartney’s famous hit or McCartney’s mystic lyrics about always wanting to return to the Mull of Kintyre:
Far have I travelled and much have I seen, Dark distant mountains with valleys of green, Past painted deserts the sunsets on fire, As he carries me home to the Mull of Kintyre.
Whatever it was, I found myself after a not inconsiderable, long, laborious clamber down on the much sought-after scenic headland.
It had been a warm clear summer afternoon when we began, when we got there you could hardly see a foot in front of you.
Then the words of the chorus came flooding back which, of course, include the meteorological warning: “mists rolling in from the sea.”
However, on the way back to the car we were afforded a magnificent panoramic view, which included a view of Ireland and the Antrim Coast.
I was struck by how close we were to Ireland, and we could also see clearly Rathlin Island.
The story goes that they couldn’t decide, if Rathlin Island was a Scottish or Irish island, so they brought a snake onto the Island.
The poor snake died, and the island was deemed Irish, because St Patrick had banished the snakes from Ireland.
I think, to be honest, there may be a wee bit of blarney in this story!
I remember at the time of my visit that Boris Johnston had come up with the cunning scheme of building a bridge between Scotland and Ireland, and I wondered if the Mull of Kintyre might not be a beautiful backdrop for such an unlikely undertaking. Now, the PM’s scheme has morphed into a tunnel between Scotland and Ireland, aptly named in the media Boris’s Burrow.
Bridge building is a noble and worthy undertaking, as it unites communities and establishes ties and bonds of unity.
Often bridge building has been accompanied by great feats of engineering, one at which the Scots particularly excelled with the likes of the Forth Rail Bridge, which was the marvel of its day.
I saw the new bridge over the Forth being built The Queensferry Crossing at various stages of construction, and it is an amazing and breath-taking structure.
Bridge builder is also the name for a priest, the Latin word for priest pontifex literally means the builder of bridges: builder of bridges between heaven and earth, God and his people.
In ordinary times, these Lenten days, would have seen me as a priest trying to bring people closer to God in this holy season. “Bridging the gap” that may have developed in people’s faith and lives in their relationship with God.
Offering a renewed joy in faith, a renew outlook on God’s call to come back to Him with all our hearts. It’s frustrating in these sacred days of Lent that my priestly ministry is so stymied, and that those bridges to faith and God are not being built by me that much.
But where there’s a will there’s a way, different ways and means to continue to minister to people as a priest in diverse and innovative ways. Certainly, I’m so grateful for the opportunity this article gives me to reaches out to readers and build bridges with you and hopefully with God.
And I feel so strongly, that at this time of separation and isolation, we all need to be bridge builders with one another and with God and bridge the gap of loneliness and separation that so marks our lives at this difficult and challenging time.
Across
1.
Children’s game (4,3,4)
9. Enquire (3)
10. Fatigue (9)
11. Swarthy (5)
13. Alfresco (4-3) 14. Nakedness (6) 16. Allot (6)
18. Not fact (7)
19. Hard-wearing
fabric (5)
20. Protrudes (6,3) 21. Simple tune (3) 22. Very upset (11)
Down
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Writing fluid (3)
Access (5)
Not broad (6)
Unhappiness (7)
Height (9)
Invariable (4,3,4)
Stargazers (11) 12. Tempting (9) 15. More dense (7) 17. Bury (6) 19. As above (5) 21. Wonder (3)