ETK: Getups

Turkish Getups last night. I tried to get an 8kg kettlebell yesterday, but the only store I could find with a proper one wasn't getting them in until today, so I used a 20lb dumbbell. Last time I used a 15 and the extra 5 lbs made for a harder workout. My form was much better this time. I concentrated on getting up and down in a consistent way and making sure my core was strong. It's a bit tough on the knees kneeling on a hard floor, but I think I will get used to that, too. Five minutes doesn't seem like much time, but I was exhausted by the time it was up. I'm sure it's even harder using an actual KB and I look forward to getting one I can use. Twelve kg is perfect for me for swings, but too heavy for getups. I'm confident that I will work up to that in the following months. Cleans and snatches will also likely require a lighter KB. Hopefully 8 kg will be light enough.

ETK: Week 2

Kettlebell swings yesterday! Love them. Such a short yet powerful workout. And so hassle free. Talked to my dear friend Ashley on the phone for an hour afterwards, walked the dogs, then had some roasted chicken and a glass of red outside on our patio. Lovely evening.

The wedding was so incredibly beautiful. I have to say it inspired me. I had been starting to warm up to the idea of having a wedding and then being there really made the idea appealing; it was so well done, so beautiful, and so fun. The weather was perfect, the scenery was outstanding (mountains and lakes), the venue was gorgeous, the whole thing was just really tasteful and relaxed. So, now I am thinking about my wedding, which is overwhelming, but fun.

I weighed 163 yesterday after a day and a half of indulgence, but I was back down to 159.8 this morning. Hopefully I will make some strides this week and be close to my goal of 158 by the end of the week. It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow. To see if there continues to be a downward trend or if I will frustratingly bounce up and down. I have faith. I believe!

ETK: Day 4 and 5

Yesterday was busy, but I made sure to make time for ETK. I concentrated on my form and although I'm not sure if I am near perfect, it felt pretty good. It's quite warm here now, and we don't have air conditioning, so it didn't take much to get a sweat going. It was a great session and I felt my entire body working while swinging. We took the dogs for a swim afterwards and jumped in ourselves. It was about 7 pm by that time and the beach we went to had lost the sun already, so it was COLD in the water, but invigorating.

I realized on the way home I hadn't eaten since lunch and we were due at a friend's house, so we went home, inhaled some lunch leftovers and flew out the door. Had a lovely evening drinking wine and catching up with some good friends I hadn't seen in too long.

This morning the scale read 159.6 - woohoo!! I know that doesn't mean it will stay there, but it is a downward trend and I am very happy about that. If I can behave myself this weekend, I will be on track to reach my goal of 158. It might not happen by September 1, but it won't be too long after that. I think I will be fine this weekend. It is my Cheat Day tomorrow and I'm not really craving anything. I will be eating what is served to me at the wedding, drinking (too much) wine, and perhaps enjoying a piece of cake, but I can honestly say, I just don't have the cravings for sugar or processed carbs. It's such a good feeling to want to eat healthy and have no desire not to. I've said it before, but the weekly Cheat Day is a big help.

Turkish Getups today after work before we leave for Whistler. I used a 10 lb DB last time, but it was far too light. Today I will use a 15 lb DB and see how that goes. I really should get a lighter KB...

I won't be blogging at all this weekend, but will return on Monday to dish about my weekend. Hopefully another pound lighter!

ETK: Day 2 - Turkish Getups

Yesterday was Turkish Getup day. The same 10-minute warm up routine followed by 5 minutes of Turkish Getups. I couldn't even do one TG with my 12kg KB, so instead I started with a 10lb dumbbell, which did feel a bit too easy, but for an intro to TG's, probably a good move. Overall, it went well. It was a little uncomfortable on the knees on hardwood floor getting up, but not so bad. I enjoyed it. The 5 minutes went by really quickly.

After that, we went for an hour walk in the woods. It was apparent that I was slightly fatigued when walking uphill. So far, I find using KB's and doing these exercises very subtle, yet quite effective. Time will tell.

My weight this morning was 161. It's a little frustrating that it keeps going up and down, but not below 160. I will keep faith and keep doing what I'm doing. I'm eating very well, drinking lots of water, and getting some exercise. I suppose there are a few tweaks I could try and I will if nothing changes by the end of this week, but for now I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing. I guess this is why weighing in everyday is advised against. I wonder what Monday will show. My goal was to be 158 by September 1. That doesn't leave me much time, but it's still possible. Maybe my body is still adjusting. It could be so many things. It is week 3 of the slow-carb diet and just the start of a regular exercise routine, and a very short one at that.

I need to have patience and faith. It's just the beginning and the most important thing is, I feel fantastic.

Day 1 - Enter the Kettlebell

Kettlebells first piqued my interest when I read about them in Tim Ferriss' book, The 4-hour Body. It's not that I hadn't heard of them or seen them being used before, but I always figured they were yet another fitness trend that could not surpass good old weight lifting. Little did I know, the Russians have been training with them for over a century. Russians are strong.  Tim Ferriss claims he got leaner than ever before using a combination of the slow-carb diet and kettlebell training twice a week for a relatively short amount of time. I was intrigued! Upon further research, I found that many more believers in kettlebells all claimed the same thing - that training with kettlebells was the most efficient and effective way to get strong and lean. The more I read, the more excited I got.

Enter the Kettlebell.

I found a trainer in Vancouver who was RKC certified (hardstyle kettlebell training) and booked a session to learn proper form. I've never been to a personal trainer in all my years of working out. I've always just read, experimented, and observed for exercises and techniques. This time though, I wanted to learn properly right from the beginning.

Next step was to buy a kettlebell. I chose a 12kg because that's what I used with Kettlebell Steve (my trainer). I ordered it from Canadian Kettlebells, which they delivered right to my door the same day! Awesome service and great quality.

The program? Tim Ferriss recommends 75 swings twice per week, but I'm going to start with Enter the Kettlebell, a program designed from THE master Pavel Tsastsouline intended to turn beginners into advanced KB trainers. It starts really slow, but like any program, I must believe in it and follow it to the letter in order to make it work. Trust the program and the expert who created it.

I did my first practice session after work today. I was so excited, I camehome from work, changed and got started right away. Ten minutes of wall squats, halos, and pumps and then 12 minutes of  20 swings followed by 1 minute of jogging on the spot (my choice for active rest). It was great. The warm-up got my heart pumping and by the time I started swinging, I was sweating! The swings got harder and harder, but I managed to stick to 20 each set. I lost track of how many sets I did, I think it was about 5. Tomorrow is the Turkish Getup. I have a feeling that is going to translate into a very long and painful 5 minutes. Bring it on! Nothing like a new challenge to feel motivated.

Weight today: 160.4 lbs