My First Kettlebell Workout

So, I did my first kettlebell workout this morning. "How'd it go?" you ask? Well, I believe a picture might explain it better than I could...

Yep, that pretty much summed it up. It turns out the 16kg bell may have been a bit too aggressive right out of the gates.

The first minute of swings went rather well. Seemed a bit long, but I made it. One minute of rest, followed by my second minute of swings. My stupid pinky fingers just don't fit around the handle, so I either leave them on the inside where they get squished or stick them on the outside where the start getting crampy. Another rest minute, and for the third minute, the swings are getting slower and farther apart. Ended up only doing half of minute four before wrapping that one up.

Turkish get-ups. I wasn't far off when I said I'd be drooling on the floor for three minutes. Did it once on the right side, once on the left, right side again, then that was it.

Goblet squats. Instead of 3 sets of 20 reps, I did one set of 7 reps, 1 set of 5 reps, and one set of immobile fetal position.

So, in order to avoid this morning's unpleasant side-effects, I need to scale back the weight a bit before I try that again. In the meantime, I'll focus on some of my weaker areas so this won't be such a traumatic event for my system.

Kettle Bell Intro

So, our friends have been doing kettle bells for a while now and graciously agreed to come out and give me a quick overview. Jesse came and walked me through a few of the basic exercises. He started me out with the 24kg 16kg bell, mercifully...

The first one was the two-handed swing, fairly straight-forward and I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it even though my technique could use some refinement. I was surprised to see how quickly it feels like I'm actually getting a workout. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, here's a video demonstration... One minute of swings, then one minute of rest, and repeat six times. I'll tell you right now, I have the one minute of rest down pat. I was already starting to sweat after a few reps. It looks like you're just swinging a canon ball around, but it really is a full-body workout.

Then he showed me the goblet squats. I did maybe ten of them and my legs are still not talking to me. I'd rather fall down the stairs right now than walk up and down... He says when I get good at those, I can move to the one-legged (or pistol) squat. I couldn't do one of those right now without the weight, so this could be a bit of an uphill climb.

"Now I'll show you the Turkish get-up". A what now?? (Here's another video). Yah, it's harder than it looks. "Normally you'd do five minutes with that one." Five minutes?! Holy cardiac arrest, Batman! Five minutes for me would be about two reps followed by 3 minutes of unconscious drooling on the floor.

So, after my quick introduction, I am now hooked on kettlebells. If you want more information, I would highly recommend visiting Jesse's website, "Core Kettlebell Training." He'll be offering classes in the Cardston area in April, hopefully by then I will be to the point where I can actually make it through an entire workout. Right now the kids have "9-1" programmed into the speed dial so all they have to do is press the last "1" as I pass out.

If you're new to this like I am, let me warn you there will be pain after your first session. I'll let you know just how much after I do my first real workout on Friday. I'm hoping that if I skip tomorrow, I'll stop hurting enough to start the pain all over again. It's a good hurt though, right? Now I just have to figure out how to pack the 16kg bell into my suitcase when I hit the road next week...

Bet You Can't Eat Just One

Remember the old Lay's commercials? "Bet you can't eat just one"... Well, I have found a flaw in my "One Thing" philosophy. One thing soon leads to two, then three... and before you know it, you're actively looking to get into better shape. Making time to get the workout in, planning the day to make sure you have time to work out, checking the iFitness app on the iPad to see what other exercises could easily and logically be added to the existing routine, drinking more water (technically, any water would count as more than I was drinking before), taking carbonated drinks off the menu (including my beloved Barq's Rootbeer), getting advice from friends and family who know way more about this stuff than I do...

I even had a salad the other day while on the road. Salad... as a MEAL. Granted, it was the unofficial Subway Taco salad (steak salad w/ crushed up nacho chips), but still... How many of you thought you'd ever see the day when I had salad on purpose? And not as a side either.

So let me voice a word of caution to any who may be considering a similar "One Thing" approach to improving your health. It's a slippery slope, my friends. I started out with every intention of keeping "one thing" to just one thing, but now I'm surprised at how I really do have time to fit in a regular exercise program. It won't be long before I become "one of them". You know what I'm talking about, those people who can't stop talking about it to everyone around them. They're like vampires (the cool ones, not the sparkly kind), once they're "bitten", they want everyone else to join in too.

So, as an incentive, I went to the Lego store and picked up...

...this. The Clone Turbo Tank. The catch? I can't open it until I get my BMI down to the top end of the "Normal" range, which for my height is 210-215lbs. My BMI right now is 27.7 and apparently needs to be under 25. Personally, I look forward to being able to tie my shoes and breathe at the same time, everything after that is just gravy.

Hello Endorphins, Where Have You Been?

I didn't get around to exercising yesterday, and found myself with some extra adrenalin and pent-up aggression so I decided to do a bit more intensive workout tonight. It turns out, I may need to find reasons to generate some bottled-up rage more often because I found my regular weight settings weren't enough and I ended up moving everything up a few notches. Granted, I will most likely pay for it in the morning, but it felt really good tonight. The frustrations are subdued, for now at least, and I feel great. This is the first time I have noticed the endorphin rush after exercising.

I can't say my results are conclusive after only one trial, but the data suggests there may be a direct correlation between effort put into the workout and the positive feelings afterwards. If my findings are consistent after a few more trials, I could be on to something here. Just think what something like this could do for the fitness industry!

One Thing

I have so many excuses as to why I can't/don't start getting into better shape, but usually it comes down to "I don't have enough time." If I'm on the road, I never feel like hitting the hotel treadmill when I get in. Honestly, this may be a good thing sometimes. Have you seen some of those gems?? State-of-the-art technology, straight from the early 80's... yah, it might be time to upgrade. Anyhow, to make myself feel better, I tell myself I'll do it in the morning before I go out, which has yet to happen.

When I'm at home, I have a new set of excuses. Can't do it in the morning because I don't want to disturb anyone's slumber, then it's time to help get the kids up, fed, and ready before kicking them out the door for school. Then I need to get ready for work, which on some days just means grabbing some hot chocolate and heading downstairs to the computer. After work, it's time for supper, time to drive kids to various activities, time to sow, time to reap, time for bed. The few times when I have miraculously started an exercise program, it comes off the rails when I head out of town within a calendar week.

Then I look at friends/family who somehow manage to get in shape while facing the same time constraints and challenges. I love them dearly, but I don't know if I'm worthy to even be seen in public with them. A good friend went down to Boston to run in a marathon. "You mean, THE Boston Marathon?" Yes, that one. I won't walk four blocks to get the mail, and you're running marathons (in my defense, what if someone sends me a large package? I don't want to carry that all the way home...). It's a bad sign when you're walking on the sidewalk and people pull over out of pity to see if you want a ride. She selects half and full marathons based on the cool stuff they give out. Wow what a coincidence, that's the same way I select breakfast cereal. I'd be asking if they had any shorter courses. "Do you have anything maybe around the block? How about to the end of the registration table and back. Heck with it, I'll just buy the shirt/jacket/towel/whatever on eBay later." I have a cousin who completed a local triathalon, another cousin and her husband who go running just for fun. You know the type, they post on facebook, "It was sure cold this morning, but I managed to get my 50km run in..." And by "cold", they mean -40c and winds of 80-100kph. Polar bears are staying inside to keep warm, but they're still running.

Realistically, that probably won't ever be me. But I'm coming to the realization (slowly) that I don't need to run a marathon (or hopefully, at all). I'm trying to implement a new policy in my life and it's called "one thing". It works not just for fitness, but for all the other areas of my life too. It goes like this, "What is one thing I can do today to improve in the area of [fitness/personal development/work/etc.]?" I'm not going to be able to do everything, but I should be able to do one thing, and that's more than I've been doing so far...

I Think I Have DMD

I've come to the conclusion I must have Decision-Making Disorder. I'm not even sure that's a recognized condition yet (probably isn't). On the bright side, they might end up naming it after me if I'm the first diagnosed patient.

I received a gift card for Christmas and spent an hour this evening wandering around the store, not able to make up my mind on anything. To put this in context, it's not like I got a card to the House of Tools or Ed's Vegetarian Emporium. No, I got a Best Buy card and still couldn't find anything. I love electronics, I'm never more than an arm's-reach away from a gadget. Be it an iPod, iPad, Blackberry, laptop... I always have something with me.

Small purchases have always been my week spot. I think I've spent more time standing in the aisle trying to decide which Star Wars Lego kit to buy than I did deciding to buy our house or the Ion/Aura/Equinox combined. Dawn seriously left me at the Lego aisle in Target once while she went to do her shopping, then came back after she was done and picked the sets for me because I was still standing there. I don't know why these little purchases become such a major-life decision, maybe it stems back to the newlywed days when we had to check our bank account balance before going to 7-11 for a slurpee.

So I wandered from one department to the next, trying to find something but to no avail. At first, the staff start asking, "Do you need a hand yet?" Then you start hearing announcements over the store speakers, "Security, check cameras in section C." Then I'd go over to Computers, "Security, check the cameras in section F." Until finally they give up trying to be sneaky and start announcing, "Security, that tall guy in the blue coat is over by the stereos now."

I'm not sure what the treatment is for DMD, if there is a treatment. Maybe I should've stuck it out and finished my Psych degree, then I could at least write a paper on it. Maybe apply for some study grants...

Somewhat Misleading

This could be a frightening look into the way my mind works sometimes. I saw this while I was out getting some supplies for our family Christmas Eve party, and I have to say this was a bit misleading...

The sign reads "Entertaining", but I stood there and watched intently for about 5 minutes and nothing happened. There are few things less entertaining than a bunch of bread loaves. Oh, and don't point that out to the staff either, they apparently don't think it's funny. I, on the other hand, got a kick out of it. But then again, sometimes I amuse fairly easily...