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March 23, 2023

Coach Brandon Pictures from Egypt

I recently took a trip to Egypt & have a few pictures & thoughts to share.

The Great Pyramids of Giza. The Pyramid of Khefru (481ft) was the tallest structure on Earth from the time of its completion around 2,500BC until the construction of the Eiffel Tower in 1887! Since I was a small child I have been amazed by these pyramids.  After seeing them in person I am somehow even more blown away by them than ever before.

 

The Great Pyramids with the Sphinx in front. The Sphinx has been dated back to around the time of the construction of the Pyramids but new research is showing it potentially could be much older and predate the Pyramids by up to a couple thousand years!

 

One of our earlier mornings. A sunrise hot air balloon ride over the farmlands of Luxor. Luxor was once called Thebes and was the first ever capital of ancient Egypt. Definitely a unique and wonderful thing to experience.

 

 

Temple of Hatshepsut. Built sometime between 1,500-1,400 BC.

This temple was built for a Pharoah with a very interesting story of how she gained and kept her rule by sending her stepson (the rightful heir to the throne) to Sudan. She ruled for multiple decades after. After she passed away her stepson came back to Egypt and destroyed many of her statues and temples as to try and not let history remember her. He failed, as Queen Hatshepsut was loved by most people she ruled over.

 

Inside one of the tombs at the Valley of the Kings. Around 1,600BC kings stopped building pyramids and started building chambers in the caves and cliffs of Thebes in an attempt to keep grave robbers out.

The pictures in this tomb are approximately around 3,300 years old but have kept the paint incredibly well due to being buried for so long.

I personally did not have high expectations for the Valley of the Kings but left Egypt with it being one of my favorite stops we had.

March 14, 2023

I once wondered….

I have the unique position of being a long-time member of Hybrid Fitness as well as a team member of Hybrid Fitness.  I am thinking back to things that I once wondered about.  

Is this right for me?  Choosing to focus on being healthier is always a good choice because what we focus on is what we get more of.  Focusing on good health helps us with more good health!  

Do I have time for this?  Time is one thing we cannot get more of but we can take a look at how we are currently spending our time & make our decisions accordingly.  Is how you are spending your time now in alignment with where you want to be in the future? 

What if I can’t do the exercise?  This was me to a tee.  I got winded quickly, had bad knees, and a slipped disk in my back.  I couldn’t do squats & had to be careful with my back.  Hybrid was perfect for me because of the professionally trained coaches that knew how to tell me to do each exercise correctly or which exercises to do instead.  It snuck up on me, but as I got stronger, I could do squats and other exercises I couldn’t do at the beginning!

Can I afford this?  Hindsight is 20/20 and I realize now that battling cancer is way more expensive (mentally & physically) than Hybrid rates plus it’s a lot more fun, you get coached by caring professionals, the workouts are designed for you, and everyone wants you to succeed.  I walk in & do what I’m told – lol!  

I don’t know anybody.  Will I fit in?  Your gym time is what you focus on, what you want it to be.  It can be solitary, quiet time or it can become a group of friends-fun-time or anywhere in between!  We’ve had more than one instance of members meeting, dating, & getting married!  We’ve had many instances of best-friend relationships formed.  It’s a judgement-free zone & you make it what you want to make it – with a smile, you’ll fit in just fine!

No question, I’m biased!  Hybrid is now deeply entwined in my life.  It’s my family, passion, and career & I couldn’t have imagined any of this when I had all of these questions back in 2018!

March 2, 2023

Cheeto Fingers will be just one chapter of my life story

Growing up, my Dad worked for the Frito Lay Company…

Which meant that we would have boxes and boxes of the stales (product that had gone beyond expiration date) in our garage at home.

Whatever chip flavor you could imagine, there was an unlimited supply within a few steps from my kitchen.

And sometimes… every couple of months… we’d even get the leftover bags of beef jerky.

What a treat.

I remember playing video games all day in the summer, and sprinting into the garage in between games to grab my next bag of choice, pebbles stuck to the bottoms of my feet because I couldn’t take the time to even slide crocs on.

Often, that bag of choice was Cheetos.

This was when I learned about the irreversible damage Cheeto dust can do.

Not only does it stick to your fingers, but it’s a magnet to everything you touch, including your Xbox controller.

Some lessons you have to learn the hard way, I suppose.

In this story, one might describe me as a Junk food eater… a Video Game nerd, perhaps?

Call me what you want, this story isn’t a fair representation of who I am today.

And it certainly doesn’t dictate my actions today.

I say this because…you may have a story you remember.

Maybe it replays in your head quite often.

A story from long ago, or maybe more recently.

Know that that story doesn’t define who you are today.

Every day you have a decision. A fresh start.

To decide what actions you will take today.

And who you will become.

Who you are.

And you don’t have to feel guilty for those old stories.

They are a old chapter in a book you are still writing.

Chose to be 1% better today, whatever that may be for you.

And look back on those chapters, proud…

proud because of how far you’ve come.

So, what story will you write today?

Love,

Coach Hunter
#SmallStepsBigResults