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Must reads:

CHASTISING GRACE

Growing Through Tough Times

Pg 5

King’s Inspiration: Agree to Walk Together

Pg 8

My Sports: 5 surprises, tech trends and brave calls from the 2023 F1 launch season

Pg 13

CONTENTS

My Pulpit Message notes | Chastising Grace| 3-4

Growing Through Tough Times | 6

My Devotional: Run Your Race | 7 King’s Inspiration: Agree to Walk Together | 8

My Entrepreneur: You’re appointed for this work | 10

My Health: Can physical activity at the right time of day increase fat loss? | 11-12

My Kitchen: Baked Turmeric Chicken and Rice |13

My Sports: 5 surprises, tech trends and brave calls from the 2023 F1 launch season |14

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My Pulpit Message Notes

CHASTISING GRACE

My Pulpit Message Notes are transcribed from the sermon preached at the Nairobi Baptist Church (NBC) Ngong Road on Sunday 19th February, 2023. Preacher - Reverend Erastus Weru, Lead Pastor - NBC Westlands. Scripture: Hosea 9-10. Topic: Chastising Grace

The stage has been set for this wonderful relationship between God and His children Israel. It is as if we have been in a courtroom. We started the great demonstration of how strained the relationship between God and the children of Israel was. It could only be understood if Hosea the prophet married a prostitute to capture people’s imagination of how unfaithful they had become to their God and Father, Hosea 1-3.

The case of the unfaithfulness has been prosecuted in Hosea 4-8 and in Hosea 9-10 focus on the verdict of the case. It is as if we are in a courtroom and the Judge takes us through the verdict reminding us of the charge that has been presented by the prosecution taking us through the judgement that is declared against this nation and finally offering an olive branch as a mitigation.

The Charge

The initial relationship with God, as far as Israel was concerned, Hosea reminds us that it was very good. In fact, God ‘finding Israel was like finding grapes in the desert’. Grapes is a sweet fruit. It was like finding the first fruit on the fig tree in it’s first season Hosea Hosea 9:10. In fact he tells us that Ephraim was ‘like a trained calf that loved to thresh’. It was an obedient nation.

The picture here is of a very blossoming relationship. It is like that one of a young man and a young lady , the initial stages of dating and there is nothing they cannot do for each other. It is like those days we got saved, (those who are saved) and we loved to pray and read the Word of God and everything was just going right.

- It was a relationship that started very well and God was pleased with. It is a relationship that was in its honeymoon days.

- But in Hosea 9:10 this relationship continued until they came to Baal Peor (Hosea 9:10). Numbers 25, Baal Peor is when Balak hired Balaam to curse the Israelites. It is where Balaam was stopped by God from cursing Israel and was told, there is not witchcraft against Israel. There is no divination against My people because they are blessed. The only thing you can do is to bless them.

- And when it was impossible to curse this People, Balaam advised Balak that it is possible to make this People despicable before their God. Just have them prostitute themselves with their women, because by so doing they will start worshipping our god.

- So at Baal Peor, Hosea reminds these People that there their relationship with God started going south. The honeymoon stage of that relationship started suffering. There they started prostituting themselves with the women as they are still doing.

Then he says from the days of Gibeah, Israel has sinned. This is during the time of judges (Judges 19-21) ruling the land. This is where a man from Judah had separated from his wife and the wife had gone back home and this man went for his wife and the day they were going back, they left the father in law’s home a bit late and darkness found them on the way and an old man of Gibeah gave his man and his concubine accommodation. As they were eating and enjoying themselves this man who had gone for his wife, the wicked men of the village came and told the old man who had given the other man accommodation, where is this man you had brought because we want to have sex with him? This old man really pleaded for his friend until they had to give away the lady he had gone for and they raped her the whole night and the lady died in the morning. After that there was a civil war in Israel and the tribe of Benjamin who were the occupants of Gibeah was almost wiped out, being left with only about six hundred men.

- Hosea says this relationship was working until Gibeah.

- Hosea goes on to tell them, every sin of Israel is in Gilgal. The book of 1 Samuel 11:15, here we find that they consecrated Saul as their king. The Israelites said they wanted to have a king so that they can be like any other nation. It is in

Gilgal that they consecrated Saul and confirmed him as their king and so their relationship with God started going south.

- In our relationship with God, I believe there is something that happens, that we start giving ourselves to and it becomes a snare in our relationship with God.

- For Israel, it started at Baal Peor when they started prostituting themselves with the Midianite women and 25,000 of them died. At Gibeah, things became worse. At Gilgal, they said now they want a king. This God is so far removed from us. They wanted a king who will for before them so that they can be like every other nation. That is the historical problem where those three incidences, where they started sowing the seed that they are now reaping today.

Current Charge

i. Baal Worship - Hosea

9:1

- Hosea 9:1-3 They are worshipping Baal who is a god of fertility. So Hosea is telling them in every threshing floor, (where they would separate wheat from husk), they are thanking Baal because of the abundance of harvest and because Baal was a god of fertility, one of the ways of worshipping him was through sexual immorality. So Hosea reminds them that in every threshing floor you have accepted the price of prostitution.

The seed that was sown at Baal Peor is being harvest now. They have gone full swing in worshipping Baal. And as they harvest and celebrating the harvest, they are engaging in sexual immorality, they are worshipping and thanking the god of fertility who has given them abundance of harvest.

ii. Detest God’s Word - Hosea 9:7,

- They are calling the prophet Hosea a fool / mad man, and the other people who were telling them about God’s Word. -

But God tells them, that person you are calling mad, that is my watchman. That is the person I have put to declare my Word before you. -

Hosea was not the only one called a mad person. In Acts, Paul was called mad by Festus. He was told ‘you are out of your mind.’ When they did not understand Jesus, he was told He is demon possessed (John 7:20). And we have seen politicians wanting to put off those who preach, believers as if they do not know what they were doing.

iii. Faithlessness - Hosea 10:13

- These people had become faithless. Hosea 10:13 we are told they depended on their own strength and warriors. Remember they had said they wanted a king to be like any other nation, one who will go before them in their battles against other nations. At this particular instance the charge was they were depending on themselves rather than on God.

- Remember there in a nation where it started and they were told they are not allowed to have many military men because when you go to war it is not about you, but about God.

My Pulpit Message Notes

And the question we have to ask ourselves is, are there some seeds that we are sowing today that when it comes to reaping a year or two, five, or ten or twenty, the next generation that we are planting in this generation which our children, to grandchildren will reap?

- This is not the generation that was at Baal Peor. It was a different generation. It is hardly 40 years down the line. They are still reaping the fruit that their great grandparents planted at Baal Peor.

- We have to ask ourselves, are there some bitter fruits we are reaping today, that we planted a few years ago. When did we reach the point in this country where we can go gorge out the eyes of a nine year old boy, because we are fearing he is going to inherit the land? How did we reach a point where in our health survey they were saying an average Kenyan man has four sexual partners besides the one they are living with? Women are no better, they have two others apart from their husband. Some could be seated in the pews.

When was this seed planted? When did we reach where we are today in this country that drugs are so easily available that in our high schools if there is something driving them out of school are drugs? Not just boys/men girls smoke bhang. When was this seed planted? Because you reap what you sow? What we are reaping, when was it planted and is there a bitter seed we are planting for our children today? It will come to haunt them in years to come.

The Judgement

The party / honeymoon is over.

Soon there is going to be blood-berth in the nation and God tells them in Hosea 9:12 “Woe to you when I turn My face from you!”.

- One of the charges was that they depend on themselves and their warriors. Now their military is going to be completely defeated. We know that in 722 BC this is what happened. They were completely defeated and went into captivity and never to rise again.

- “War will overtake you and nations will be gathered against you”. Hosea 10:10

- The end of kingship is also declared in judgement. They will have no king. The king will be deposed and destroyed. Without the king, without the nation you will become wanderers among the nations. Hosea 9:17

- Finally, captivity is declared. Hosea 9:3, He tells them, “You will return to Egypt. Yes you will go to Assyria. Memphis will bury you. (Memphis was a city in Egypt that was doing very well in the construction of pyramids where they bury their dead). Some of you will go to Assyria, some to Egypt, where they will be buried in Memphis.

- Even the calf idol at Beth Arbel (a corruption of the word Bethel - House of God), This is where Jeroboam had erected an idol in the form of a calf. Now God tells them, even that calf will be taken to captivity. That god you worship at Beth Arbel, you converted the House of God (Bethel to wickedness (Beth Arbel), that calf will go to captivity. “Woe unto you when I turn my face against you.”

- Many at times, I think we engage in many things, and we really try the patience of God. I think in this nation we have tried the patience of God in every way. The recent health survey index about how many sexual partners we have in this country did not cause an alarm. When university girls are murdered, it doesn’t cause an alarm. I usually feel it because I am a father of only daughters when I hear of a girl who has been murdered by her boyfriend.

- It has become so common for men to murder their girlfriends. I hear these days there is a dam in Juja where people go to drink and engage in sexual orgies in their cars until people are drowning on and off. There reaches a point where God says, “Woe unto you when I turn My face from you.”

God says the land will not produce. Hosea 9:1-2. There will be no winepress because the land is not going to produce.

The threshing floor is not going to feed the nation. i.e.. There will be no crop in the land.

There will be decimation of population Hosea 9:11-17. There is a lot of sexual immorality, but there will be no children. He says there is no pregnancy, no conception, where the children are born, you will be bereaved, he will give them miscarrying wombs, Those who give birth I will give them dry breasts, there will be nothing for the children to suckle. Their roots are dried up. There will be no fruit and children will be put to death. In other words, their sexual immorality will not lead to a population boom, but to the decimation of population.

- There are places in the world today where the population is in decline and aren’t those races some of people leading in sexual immorality? And yet God says there will be no children, no conception.

- He says there will be separation from God. No more drink offering. No more sacrifice. He is not interested. He says, ‘the bread you offer will be to satisfy your hunger’ not to worship Me.’ No more services, no more church, when you go to church you will do your own thing, that is today’s equivalent.

ii. Independence from God

- He tells them there will be military defeat. Hosea 10:2-10,14-15. Israel had sown wickedness and reaped evil in deception.

- He gives them the example of how Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle. It seems this is a king who really beat the nation that he conquered. “as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.”Hosea 10:14.

- By the time the mothers are being dashed to the ground there are no men. The military is completely defeated. They are not there.

- God is patient. By the time the Israelites are reaching this point, they have been at it for hundreds of years, decades. But at this point God is telling them, ‘Woe unto you when I turn My face from you.

God’s Grace - Hosea 10:12

- God is very gracious. God is merciful because in Hosea 10:12 He offers them mitigation, Himself. He tells them, “Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap steadfast love,.., for it is time to seek the LORD until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.”

- So if you were to ask, as the Kenya Health Survey is released, as you are gorging out children’s eyes because of land, we have murdered, shed blood because of land, corruption people are joking now that we should start taxing corruption money because it is not possible to do away with it, but as all this is happening and God is saying, “Woe unto you,the day I will turn away from you, then He says, “Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap steadfast love..for it is time to seek the LORD until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.”

i. Against Baal Worship

My Life

How to get saved and spend eternity with God

His Love

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16 (NASB)

My response

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:9-10 (NASB)

My prayer

Lord God Almighty, thank You for Your love for me. Thank You that You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins. Please forgive me for all the sins I have committed against You. I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He died on the cross and You raised Him from the dead on the third day. Please write my name in the Lamb’s book of life. Help me to live a life that is holy and pleasing unto You. In Jesus’ Name I pray and believe. Amen

GROWING THROUGH TOUGH TIMES

By Anthony Mwangi,

One of the biggest lessons we can impart to our children is that life is not a walk in the park. Challenges will arise from time to time and we must be prepared to invent solutions. The best mindset to adopt in the midst of a challenge is not that of a victim who gripes and complains, but that of a victor who remains focused on inventing solutions and exploring alternative courses of action.

We certainly need to train our kids to be innovators and solution providers to the myriad of challenges facing our world. In Chinese, the word crisis also bears the meaning of opportunity. A crisis or challenge is therefore an opportunity in disguise.

As parents, teachers and mentors, we must avoid the habit of complaining about all manner of things. This sets a bad precedent to the children who are constantly watching us. It does not require much intelligence to see and complain about a problem. In this world, we will have problems. It requires a great deal of intelligence to come up with solutions to those problems. The best sign of growth and maturity in an individual is to confront the challenges of life with the mindset that there is a way to navigate and grow through the challenge.

The covid-19 pandemic brought about an unprecedented disruption of learning worldwide. Many schools and universities were closed for an extensive period of time. However, the disruptions in the education sector might have been worse had online teaching tools not been developed and adopted by the schools that did so. Due to the foresight of a few individuals who designed creative products such as Microsoft Teams, Google Classrooms, Zoom, and a range of customized Learning Management Systems (LMSs), learning went on uninterrupted on the virtual platforms in many private and international schools.

Thus, the foresight of a few individuals in creating a solution to an unforeseen problem helped cushion learners during the government-instituted contain-

ment measures which disrupted the normal school calendar. There is no limit to the human imagination in coming up with solutions that will circumvent humanity’s most adverse situations. Challenges have no power to overcome individuals who are armed with a tenacious mind that generates solutions rather than cower under the pressure of intimidating problems.

To grow through tough times, let us focus on the adoption of solutions geared toward overcoming every storm that rocks our boat. We need to resolutely come up with workable solutions to get us out of the pits we fall into from time to time. We need to inculcate this attitude and mentality in our children and students in our homes and learning institutions.

The easy tests are those that have a marking scheme. The world has tests for which no marking scheme exists- difficult tests, challenges and battles. We need to equip our children/ learners with the tools necessary to win life’s battles without mentally or emotionally imploding them. This requires character development. One of my lecturers told me that building your character supersedes building your career. Building character takes sacrifice.

Let us reflect on the words of Adoniram Judson who said; “There is no success without sacrifice. If you succeed without sacrifice it is because someone has suffered before you. If you sacrifice without success it is because someone will succeed after.”

Leadership Teacher at Crawford International School | Image courtesy : Theirworld

Anthony Mwangi, Leadership Teacher at Crawford International School |

RUN YOUR RACE

https://sportsspectrum.com/daily-devotional/2023/02/16/devotional-running-your-race-february-16 |

By Jim Good

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” — 1 Corinthians 9:24

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At some point, you’ve likely heard life being described as a race. In fact, the Bible compares it to a race numerous times, though the race is not so much a sprint as a marathon. We have all been called to run, and we are encouraged to run well. Here are three principles that can help us apply this analogy to our lives:

Preparation: Every runner must get ready for their own race. That could look like a first-grade student tying his shoes extra tight, a middle-school P.E. student taking extra time to stretch before a shuttle run, or a track athlete who prepares throughout the day by drinking plenty of water and eating healthy snacks. Runners who are serious about their race prepare mentally, physically and emotionally. They get ready.

The question must be asked then about our spiritual lives: Are we ready? Have you prepared well for your race? Was there a moment when you confessed your sins to God and accepted Christ as your personal Savior? That’s the first step! Then look to the Word of God as the ultimate guide to prepare you for your own unique spiritual race.

Rules: Every race will have rules specific to that event. For example, a relay race will have certain guidelines that all four runners must adhere to. They must stay within the exchange zone while passing off the baton; a runner who drops the baton will disqualify the whole team. While it’s so easy to view rules as something negative, they are typically intended to be positive. Rules are established for order, peace and accountability.

God also has rules for His people. In Exodus 20, God gives Moses the “rules” for Godly living: The Ten Commandments. In the New Testament, Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, and He responded, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39). Jesus made the most important rule for believers very clear: Love God and love others! Let’s not complicate that.

Rewards: I will never forget receiving a first-place trophy at 9 years old when my baseball team won our championship game. I remember being so proud of that trophy as it sat on top of my dresser for almost 10 years. Trophies, ribbons, medals and certificates are great rewards used to recognize accomplishment. Our Heavenly Father wants to reward you too. But His rewards are far better than any of these earthly rewards that we collect. The Bible reminds us that material rewards and possessions will rust and decay, but our spiritual rewards will last forever (Matthew 6:19-21).

God’s race for our lives is not one that requires striving out of our own strength to keep up and hoping to achieve a prize. As we keep our eyes on Him and fill our hearts with His Word, He will surely guide our steps and remind us of what is most important. And we’ll find that His rewards are worth more than anything the world could offer.

Prayer: “Dear God, I pray that I will run well the race You have set out and planned for my life. May I bring honor and glory to You.”

— Jim Good

King’s Inspiration

By william King |

Division. It is everywhere we look these days. Every time we watch the news, we see divisiveness tearing apart the fabric of our society as well as our relationships. The enemy has put wedges of strife and division between people that seem overwhelming.

Too often we find that we are fighting against one another when we should be fighting for one another. That is not a place where any of us want to live. The psalmist David said, “Behold, how good and pleasant is it when brothers dwell in unity” (Psalm 133:1).

That is where I want to live, in a good and pleasant place where we live together. There is a commanded blessing from God that is there for all of us to receive and walk. The best place to start to bring this unity, togetherness is in our families. When you start with your family, that commanded blessing flows wherever you go.

That blessing will follow you to your workplace and into any difficult situation because when God commands a blessing, nothing can stop it. If we are going to live together in unity, we have to agree to walk together “with all lowliness and gentleness” (Ephesians 4:2).

It does mean to humbly recognise that we are different people with opinions and they don’t have to fragment us. That does not have to cause us to be angry or bitter. We can maintain the bond of peace through our love. That is where we find common ground.

One practical way you can do that is when you are tempted to say what you know you should not say, or win an argument no matter what, ask yourself, “If I say it or do it, will I miss out on God’s blessing?” You could forfeit your commanded blessing because you want to get some gratification.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WILL AND SKILL Wambui’s Reflections

By Wambui | image courtesy: Nathan Jamail

The difference between will and skill is found in Acts 19: 11-16

Verses 14 we see the Seven Sons of Sceva and a Jewish chief priest were doing this.

V 15

“One day the evil spirit answered them, Paul we know, Jesus we know about, but who are you? Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding”

God was working unusual miracles at the hands of Paul. So that even a handkerchief could cure sickness.

Lesson

There are some people who wanted the same power, but had not done the same work.

So the Seven Sons of Sceva go over to this man that had demons and said - “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.”

How are you going to have a secondhand anointing with a firsthand devil?

Listen to me, do not play with demons if you don’t have any power! If you do not have any Authority! Do not try and cast out nothing. Sit yourself down and take a back seat.

You are better off calling for our grandmothers who have the anointing, who sit there and are full of fire, who have the anointing. It is never the flashy people with big words. It is the ones who are not so concerned about makeup, but have the gift to pray and bind devils.You need somebody that has got some power.

It was very interesting how these demons reacted to the Seven Sons of Sceva..... these demons said....”hold on ....now Paul we know and Jesus we know, who are you? The result is that they were beaten so badly they left the house naked and bleeding.

Lessons

A.) Prophetically God is saying in this season I am exposing everybody that does not have real power!

B.) If you have been playing...I (God) am about to expose you. Because your church clothes can not save you, your gift can not save you, your talent can not cast out a demon, only a real relationship with the risen Jesus Christ can save you!

And you better know how accurately to throw that stone, or you are going to get bashed in the head and run out naked and bleeding.

C.) Know the difference between having the will and skill. You can have the will to do something, but not have the skill to do it.

D.) When you do not have a personal relationship with God, when you have not made any investments or deposits in your spiritual walk... how can you expect to withdraw?

You cannot go to the bank and write a cheque of withdrawal from an account you do not have, or one that you have never made deposits.

E.) Stop expecting to have power when you have not invested in your relationship with the Holy Spirit!

Entrepreneur

YOU’RE APPOINTED FOR THIS WORK

www.biblicalleadership.com

| By Doug Spada

Jesus said, “I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me” (John 15:5 GNT).

Ask yourself, “Why has God given me His power to accomplish my work?”

It can’t be just to work harder, to work better or to give more. Yes, these things are important, but what is the central purpose for God’s power in your life? Let’s look at the Bible for one of these answers: “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth” (Romans 9:17 NLT).

Stop for a moment and breathe this in! You have been appointed to display God’s power. The word “appointed” has a significant meaning as you go into your work. It literally means prearranged, decided, agreed upon, determined, assigned and established.

God has prearranged your life and work, then sends you on assignment. As His representative, you are sent as an ambassador! You carry the full power and authority of Jesus as you go and accomplish your work on this earth.

Being sent by God as an ambassador is similar to a foreign ambassador who represents his country abroad.

In the same way, you are sent to represent Jesus where you are. You are equipped and resourced for your assignment—and never left alone or expected to do it by yourself! God sends you with a capacity that extends well beyond what you could do on your own.

My Health

Can physical activity at the right time of day increase fat loss?

by Anna Guildford, Ph.D.

Exercise plays an important role in a person’s overall health.

Much debate still exists over what the best time of day is for a person to exercise. Researchers have found via a mouse model that exercising in the morning helps increase fat burn compared to working out in the evening. Exercise plays an important role in overall health.

Not only can it help with weight loss, but previous studies also show physical activity can help lower a person’s risk for diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseaseTrusted Source, stroke, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure.

Although people know they should work out, much debate exists over what is the best time of day to exercise for the most benefits.

For example, one study in October 2021Trusted Source found exercising in the morning may be more beneficial for people with obesity, while another study in September 2021Trusted Source found evening workouts more effective for overweight men.

Now, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found that exercising in the morning helps increase fat burn compared to working out in the evening in models of mice.

The study was recently published in the journal PNAS.

Why might the time of day matter?

According to Dr. Juleen R. Zierath, a professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery and the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, and the lead author of this study, many of our internal rhythms are governed by an intrinsic molecular clockTrusted Source.

“This clock coordinates a great deal of our physiology, including body temperature, blood pressure response, hormoneTrusted Source release, and even strength and alertness,” she explained to Medical News Today.

“Therefore, if we can align what we do — for example, our daily exercise routine — with this clock, we may be able to fine-tune the health benefits,” she added.

My Health

Measuring adipose (fat) tissue

For this study, Dr. Zierath and her team examined the adipose tissueTrusted Source of mice after they had a session of high intensity exercise at one of two times during the day — a late morning session or a late evening session.

Upon analysis, researchers found that early exercise increased the expression of genes involved in the breakdown of adipose tissue and some other functions associated with a higher metabolic rate.

“The early active phase exercise increased the expression of genes related to fat burning, heat production, and blood vesselTrusted Source production,” Dr. Zierath said.

“These changes occurred even when levels of exercise-induced hormones were similar between phases, meaning that the sensitivity of body fat to exercise-induced hormones may differ depending on the time of day when the physical activity is performed,” she explained.

Scientists only found these signs of increased metabolism in the mice that exercised in the morning.

“We were surprised that early active phase exercise — corresponding to late morning exercise in humans — had such a profound impact on boosting metabolism in fat cells. Initially, we thought this time-of-day-dependent effect was because of nutritional status.”

— Dr. Juleen R. Zierath

“However, we later confirmed that the gene signature of a higher metabolic rate was not affected by food intake,” she said.

Next steps: Trials in humans

When asked what the next steps for this research would be, Dr. Zierath said the limitation of the current study was that the work was only performed in healthy mice.

“Our next step is to perform a similar study in men and women with [healthy] weight or obesity. It is important to understand if our findings can be applied to fine-tune the well-known benefits of exercise on metabolism,” she continued.

“The right time seems to be important to the body’s energy balance and to improving the health benefits to exercise, but more studies are needed to draw any reliable conclusions about the relevance of our findings to humans.”

— Dr.

Juleen R. Zierath

No scientific agreement on ‘best time’

Medical News Today also spoke with Ryan Glatt, a senior brain health coach and director of the FitBrain Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, California, about this study.

He agreed that the time of day might affect how physical activity impacts the body based on individual circadian rhythms — or biological clocks based upon time of day — and the various changes in hormones that may normally fluctuate throughout the day in relation to the endocrine effects of exerciseTrusted Source.

“There is no current scientific agreement on the ‘best time of day’ for exercise, as what is likely more important is what is most behaviorally sound for that particular individual. It is also unlikely that (the) time of day to perform exercise outperforms the concept of ‘calories in versus calories outTrusted Source’ for overall fat loss.”

— Ryan Glatt, senior brain health coach

For the next steps in this research, Glatt said he would like to see this type of study conducted in humans, as there is a difference in mouse vs. human physiology.

“Prior studies have conducted such studies in humans for outcomes such as gaining muscle, but the differences among the times of day and the outcomes may not be as significant as some might expect. Unique variables, such as hormonal profile, circadian rhythm, and behavioral preferences, may mediate the interactions of exercise and time of day,” he explained.

My Kitchen

Baked Turmeric Chicken and Rice

https://www.foodnetwork.com/

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk yogurt

Kosher salt

2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder (see Cook’s Note)

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 1/2 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 large red onions, thinly sliced

2 cups basmati rice

8 whole cloves

7 green cardamom pods

3 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2 large pinches saffron

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger

5 cloves garlic, finely grated

2 medium tomatoes, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1/2 cup mint leaves

Directions

Whisk together the yogurt, 3 tablespoons salt, chili powder and turmeric in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Let sit at room temperature until ready to use, up to 1 hour. (Alternatively, the chicken can be marinated for up to 2 days covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.)

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 350 degrees F. Fry half of the onions, stirring frequently for even cooking, until deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer them to a paper-towel lined baking sheet to drain. Season with salt and let cool. Let the oil come back up to temperature and repeat with the remaining onions. Reserve the oil.

Wash, rinse and drain the rice in a bowl full of cold water until the water is almost clear, about 5 times. Bring the rice, 1/4 cup salt, 4 of the cloves, 3 of the cardamom pods, 1 of the bay leaves, the peppercorns and 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Cook for exactly 5 minutes. (The rice will not be completely cooked; it will continue to cook in the oven. Do not cook longer or the rice will get mushy.) Drain and transfer the rice and spices to a medium bowl.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Stir together the saffron and milk in a small bowl until combined.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the reserved onion oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and the remaining 4 cloves, 4 cardamom pods and 2 bay leaves. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spices are very fragrant and beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant and beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the garlic and ginger from the bottom of the pan, until the tomatoes start to break down and most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and layer on top of the tomatoes. Then sprinkle half the fried onions on top of the chicken. Top with the rice and spices and then drizzle the saffron milk over the rice. Cover the pan and bake until the liquid evaporates, the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes.

Let sit covered for 10 minutes, then transfer the biryani to a large serving platter. Top with the remaining fried onions, cilantro and mint leaves.

My Sports

5 surprises, tech trends and brave calls from the 2023 F1 launch season

https://www.formula1.com

F1 launch season has come and gone in a flash, with all 10 teams showing off their new challengers – or at least liveries – for the campaign ahead. After a variety of reveals, we look back at some of the standout moments from the last fortnight.

Mercedes go back to black

Mercedes caught the F1 world by surprise when they pulled the covers off their W14, which heralded the return of a black livery – as used in 2020 and 2021 –after the team spent 2022 in their more traditional silver colour scheme.

Toto Wolff was quick to explain his squad’s move, pointing out that large portions of the black are actually exposed carbon fibre, with Mercedes – like many teams up and down the grid – doing all they can to “squeeze out every single gram” of weight.

At the same time, with Mercedes initially switching from silver to black in 2020 to promote diversity and equality causes, Wolff admitted that the colour “became part of our DNA” and they are “pleased to return to it”.

Sleek sidepods all the rage

Red Bull’s sophisticated sidepod concept for 2022’s rules reset prompted plenty of chatter in the F1 paddock and, after the team ultimately stormed to both the drivers’ and constructors’ world titles, a host of rivals appear to have shifted towards their sculpted approach.

Indeed, from the 2023 car launch and shakedown images released so far, it is clear that several teams have been working hard to re-arrange their radiator packaging, placing more around the shoulder area of the sidepods and, in turn, freeing up space at the front.

Mercedes, though, have stuck to their guns with the ‘zero sidepod’ approach – at least initially. Wolff said at the W14’s launch that he “loves the fact we are bold”, but conceded they are also “looking at solutions” for future update packages.

Ferrari stage a live shakedown

F1 teams are usually keen to avoid sharing too much during car launches, but Ferrari went all-out with their 2023 reveal at Maranello, which involved a raucous presentation overlooked by a grandstand full of fans being capped off by a surprise shakedown.

Carlos Sainz felt the team were “brave” to include a live outing at the adjacent Fiorano track as part of the presentation, but praised his team for taking the risk and putting on a special show for the tifosi present and the millions watching around the world.

An amusing coin toss overseen by new team boss Frederic Vasseur resulted in Charles Leclerc being given the chance to debut the SF-23, but Sainz hopped in afterwards for a “perfect” experience – Ferrari’s gamble of sorts well and truly paying off.

Alpine make a special new signing

In addition to showing off a new car and a revised driver line-up at their 2023 launch, Alpine created some extra excitement by presenting international football star Zinedine Zidane – highly decorated as both a player and a manager – in a new ambassadorial role.

A passionate fan of racing, Zidane will become the brand ambassador and sponsor of Alpine’s equal opportunities programmes – Rac(H)er and the Concours Excellence Mecanique – to promote diversity in sport and the automotive industry.

“I think it’s important to tell children that, wherever they come from, they can one day become the champions of tomorrow in whatever walk of life they choose, and that they should always believe in their dreams,” said Zidane, adding that Alpine are “here to help make that possible”.

Ford announce their return to F1

During Red Bull’s spectacular New York launch event, another layer was added to proceedings when Ford stepped in to announce an F1 comeback – the two parties teaming up to work on a new power unit for the sport’s next engine era.

Ford and Red Bull Powertrains – the Milton Keynes team’s dedicated engine division – are set to develop a next-gen power unit that both Red Bull Racing and the sister AlphaTauri outfit will use from 2026 until at least 2030.

A giant of the motorsport world and the automotive industry, Ford have powered 10 constructors’ championships and 13 drivers’ championships over the years – from Lotus and Graham Hill in 1968 to Benetton driver Michael Schumacher in 1994.

By Mike Seymour