Random Act of Kindness I Received

I have been paying a lot of attention to the kindness I exhibit since joining the UBBT, however this blog is about receiving an act of kindness over the weekend.

My daughter and I were at the airport picking my wife up after a week long yoga retreat in Mexico.  As we greeted her and were about to leave the airport I noticed that my wallet was missing.  I suspected that it fell out of my pocket where we were sitting.  We rushed back to that spot and noticed that is was not there.  We retraced all steps from when we had arrived at the airport and could not find it.  We checked at the information booth and with some employees to see if it had been recovered.  My mind started to think of the ramifications if it had been stolen.  We left the airport and I noted an inventory of everything that was inside of my wallet including cash, identification, bank cards, credit cards, and other pertinent information.  I started to think of credit card fraud, identity theft, and the process of canceling and replacing everything that was inside.  As I was driving home my wife started the process and canceled two of the four credit cards.  She then suggested that she should check our home phone messages to see if anyone had found it and called our home.  She made the call and started smiling.  A gentlemen had found my wallet and looked up our telephone number and called our home as soon as he could, so we would know it had been safely found.  He left his cell number and wanted us to call him anytime to arrange for pickup.  He also wanted us to know it was found before we started canceling our cards.  The next day I met the gentlemen and picked up my wallet.  He was a very friendly and helpful man.  I thanked him with a gift card and we both parted very happy.

I don't know why when this happened that I immediately thought of the worst possible scenario vs the most optimistic scenario, but I am thankful for this gentlement who was truly helpful, sincere, and caring.  What a great day!!

Allan Gamble
Student Member
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta

Full Schedule

Hello all,

This is a very busy time for me with year end work, hockey playoffs, kung fu training, and my wife away for the week on a yoga retreat.  I have learned how to make our morning "healthy" smoothies but our dinners have mostly been take-out.  Will have a more meaningful post next week.  Happy training!!

Allan Gamble
Student Member
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta

In The Zone

I have been very fortunate to compete in the sport of hockey for the past 40 years.  I still enjoy playing every game, however being the oldest player in a younger league is a fun challenge.  Last night we played our last regular season game and we finished in first place playing the second place team.  It was a great game and a lot of fun. 

When I signed up for UBBT 8, I was sure that I would feel the benefits of better conditioning and this would help out in all areas of my life, including hockey.  For January and the first part of February I felt only a little improvement and was waiting for the benefits to really kick in.  In last night's game I played the game "In The Zone" and haven't played or felt this way in at least 10 years!  My conditioning was great, mindset was strong, and hands were unbelievable.  I owe this feeling to the results of becoming involved with UBBT!!!  I think the real beauty is that you only feel "In The Zone" on rare occasions and when you least expect it!!

Have a great training week!

Allan Gamble
Student Member
Silent River Kung Fu - Stony Plain, Alberta

Black Belt Test - Preparation

The best way to ensure that you meet your goals is through diligent preparation.  I am reviewing my game plan for testing this fall and I need to build a repetitive practice routine for timed kicks and board breaking. 

Specifically I need to build a quicker recovery time after performing the front thrust, side heel thrust, roundhouse, and spinning back kicks, for one minute each leg, with a one minute rest between each repitition.  After this eight minutes of kicks and eight minutes of rest I have found that my energy is quite depleted.  The answer always hits me as I write it down.  I will practice this set every week after our fitness class on Saturdays.  I am confident this will work!

Secondly, we spend time board breaking in class but I have yet to purchase the boards, cut them to size, and break them on a regular basis.  Again the answer is quite straight forward.  I will practice board breaking with my own boards every two weeks, probably after fitness class on Saturdays.

Have a great training week!

Allan Gamble
Student Member
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta

Late Night Snacking

I knew that at some point early this year I would have to address the issue of late night snacking.  The physical training for the UBBT is progressing well, I am having a great time playing hockey, and kung fu classes are great.  With all of this physical activity I am realizing that I need to make changes related to my late night eating habits.  It is quite simple really.  If you are physically training hard you need to fuel your body in the same manner.  I have become good at the physical training part, as I have been involved in competitive sports for most of my life, but it is now time to pay more attention to "late night snacking".  During the day I am eating right for the most part, but the majority of evenings are filled with chips, cookies, and pop.  Doing this once in a while is certainly fine but when it becomes most evenings, something must change, today.

Starting today I am going to replace the chips and cookies with fruit, yogurt, or eggs and the pop with water or green tea.  I will give myself one night a week to still have chips and a pop.  This should make me better by 86% related to late night snacking.  Have a great week!!

Allan Gamble
Student Member
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta