Back from my hiatus...

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Tuesday, July 27, 2010 7:53 PM Posted by Joe Nicholls

Well it's been over a month since I posted on here and for no other reason other than being so busy. I got married to my amazing wife, took a road trip to watch my best friend get married and just trying to get back into the swing of things.

Being married is great and I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else. It is such a blessing. As I start with the next chapter in my life, one main thing is up in the air and asking God for guidance is crucial at this point.

What does He want me to do? 
We feel like Park City is where we need to be, so now we just need to figure out what to do. This site goes hand in hand with what I would love to do full time. Making exercise and wellness a ministry. I need to meet with a couple people to discuss making it a non-profit organization and if I can pay the bills with it. If not, then it needs to be just a part time thing and I need to figure something else out. I really enjoy coaching basketball, so something with the school district would be awesome. I love teaching people and kids, being a positive person in teenagers influential lives is probably my favorite part of coaching ball. I can teach PE right now so that would be great, but may have to wait a year or two or possible more. Another very viable option is to continue to do personal training, either on my own or at one of the gyms in PC. Other than that, I need some help from friends and God to help me find a job that I can strive at.

In this time of uncertainty in our lives, having God as our rock is helping keep us feel steady. Also, with so many people having much less than us, its hard not to be thankful for the things we do have. Not to mention having two great kids, a great relationship with my parents, a church that is so alive, a growing relationship with God and an phenomenal wife.. hard to complain when the non-material things in my life are going so well.
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A fairly random (but inspiring) quote from Korn member Fieldy, about being asked about peace in Christianity.
"Yeah. I think I do [have peace]. It's somewhat like peace, but it's not like you become a Christian and [your] problems go away. I still have my everyday struggles of life and situations that come my way. But I found the difference now is when difficult situations come my way, I'm on a strong foundation and I know how to handle the situation. I don't know how, but following and walking with Christ, He shows me how."

Prayer and exercise

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 7:21 AM Posted by Joe Nicholls

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This last weekend, I ran the Wasatch Back Relay with a group of people from my church. For those of you who do not know, the Wasatch Back Relay is a 24 hour running event that involves 189 miles and 12 people. Each runner takes 3 legs ranging from 3 to 9 miles and varying levels of incline or decline. 

I was added to the team about a month before hand and it was a busy month at that, so I didn't get to train much. I also made the decision to run without music; so it was just me, the road and God. 

It was an amazing experience. It was my first true event of any length or difficulty so it was fun from that aspect alone. But the closeness I felt with God as I ran was even better. I am not going to sit here and say that I saw angles, or a figure of Jesus talking to me, but it was like talking to my best friend, father, mentor,  and boss all in one. It made me realize that there is no doubt we need to keep a constant open conversation with God. 

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 tells us to be joyful always and pray continually. If we give God the things in life that stress us, He will give us the energy to take care of our bodies and help each other.
We should feel comfortable going to God with anything and talking to Him in a normal conversation, no need to be formal or worried about "doing it" wrong. (1 John 5: 14-15)

So next time you don't think you have the energy to start a workout or finish a workout, say a little prayer and ask God to help you with the things that are stressing you out. As a matter of fact, do it right now. And again in 15 minutes. And again in an hour. . . .

Being Prepared

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Saturday, June 12, 2010 12:24 PM Posted by Joe Nicholls

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God has a will for us. We do not know what it is, but we need to strive to live out His will, not ours'.

How do you do this if you don't know what it is?

Pray and be prepared. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Ask for His guidance to know what He wants from us and to help us live out his will and not ours.

We need to be prepared in many aspects:

  1. Mentally- We need to be prepared for His answers to our questions and requests. (It's not always what we want) - Psalm 32:8
  2. Spiritually- If we are meditating on His word, the Bible, we can know that what you are hearing/ feeling is Biblical and not satan trying to guide you down the wrong path. Ephesians 6:11
  3. Physically- Maybe God's next calling for us is to work with the children in our church or a mission trip to Africa, we need to have our bodies prepared to serve God in any way we are asked. 
This is where exercise and health come into play. If we are lazy and out of shape, we may not be able to answer the bell so to speak. So next time you are struggle to start a walk, run or workout... remember that God may call you to do something that is more physical than what you are doing now. 

Grilling season!

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Tuesday, June 8, 2010 9:59 AM Posted by Joe Nicholls



It's summer time, which is awesome for so many reasons! 

The warmer weather means more time outside. Whether it be playing at parks, going for hikes, golfing or good ol' running/ walking. 

It also means that we can dust off the grills and start BBQing!


Here are a couple tips on Tasty Tuesdays for BBQ healthily:
  1. Grill a lot of chicken. Chicken is versatile, good source of protein, and the Vitamin B6 is good for energy. 
  2. Use spices and herbs to your advantage. Spicing up meat can help take away the need for calorie laden sauces and cut down on the sodium.  
  3. When choosing meats, keep this in mind:
    1. Fish or skinless poultry is best.
    2. Look for lean or extra lean for the lowest fat content
    3. 4 ounces is one serving size. So keep your meat serving to just that, then supplement your meal with a salad and vegetables.
  4. Do Kabobs, they are great because you can mix vegetables and meat!
  5. Make a tin foil dinner. Throw some extra lean ground beef and veggies in a tin foil and let it cook. Another great way to get some more vegetables in your diet. 
  6. Use lettuce for your hamburger bun. 
Happy Grilling!!!  

Why do you listen to music?

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Monday, June 7, 2010 2:20 PM Posted by Joe Nicholls

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For me, it all starts and ends with the lyrics. When I played basketball in high school, I listened to rap and hip hop.. then I woke up one morning and realized I was a kid from rural Utah and couldn't relate to 99% of the lyrics. So I stopped listening to it. 

Now, most of my music consists of Christian or country. On Music Monday's, I am going to try and pick songs that are upbeat and have great lyrics. This week's selection: 

Matthew West- Out of My Hands

First four lines of the song go like this:
"There you go changing my plans again
There you go shifting my sands again
For reasons I don't understand again
Lately I don't have a clue"

It talks about how He has a plan for us and we have no idea what it is or it may not even make sense at the time. How there are too many things that we can't control and so it's out of our hands and into His will. 

It's an upbeat song and easy to sing to. (which may or may not be a good thing for others ha ha)

Here is the iTunes link to the song. 

Matthew West - Happy - Out of My Hands

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
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