Well, kettleviewers… so far, I’m starting 2010 off with a clean  slate. Like many, the new year brings a sense of “I can do it!” to everything I’m taking on.

I think 2010 is going to teach me discipline. My health and overall fitness goals are just part of the whole picture. In every aspect, I’m learning to tackle a little bit each and every day, consistently.

I could focus on nutrition, exercise, saving money, connecting with friends, or even my business goals, and keep myself motivated by doing something — even just a little — every single day.

It’s like the adage of saving for a rainy day. If I put aside a dollar for every day this year, I’d have $365 on December 31st that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

I know, some of you would like to put aside TEN dollars a day — and if you have it, by all means, do it — however, for me, taking bite-sized pieces really works.

I find that setting my sights on a realistic goal, like “get some physical activity in,” or “no sugary sweets today,” allows me to focus on a small choice or activity that will pay off over time. Check it out:

I think that my scale(s) are a little off, so let’s not get excited about losing 5.5 pounds in one week, people. I didn’t starve myself, and I haven’t started my cleanse yet.

What I am really tracking here are the inches on my body. Last week, I dragged myself into training, pretty upset. My clothes weren’t fitting the way they were, even a month ago.

My trainer challenged me and my partner again — lose a pound a week, or pay up! Jerk!

I mean, here’s a picture of him teaching us how to do “the jerk.”

So my workout partner, Ty, and I decided to keep eachother accountable over e-mail/text/harrassing phone calls:

“Eat healthy today?”
“What did you do to workout?” ”
“Put that mini Reeses’ Peanut Butter cup down! Two pounds a week!”

Jerk!

Just kidding! Every little bit helps, really.

I’m keeping my eye on my one  year goal– to have lost 80 pounds, and over 12 inches in my waistline — through discipline, consistency, and a sense of humor.

Not to mention, I have an even bigger goal; that is, to be a healthy mom.

Happy New Year, everybody! Leave me a comment!

P.S.  I’ll be tracking my progress starting from January 2010. Feel free to look at past blogs under the category “Measurements” to see how I’ve fared since May 2009.

Hauoli Makahiki Hou!

(Happy New Year!)

Today I decided to work off some of the good luck noodles and not-so-good-for-me desserts from 2009. I put my kid on my back and took a brisk warm up walk through the hills of Hawaii Kai. Then I came home to complete a ladder consisting of clean & press and swings:

And that’s how I did a 15-10-5 on 1-1-10!

I hope the turn of the calendar year reinvigorates you towards your life goals. Let 2010 be the most productive, healthy, prosperous and happy year for you yet! I believe that it will be for me!

Leave a reply here, on youtube, or on facebook. See you tomorrow!

Guys, I have a question for you. Do you worry about what not to wear?

I can have a half-hour conversation with my girl friend about choosing the right blouse for her interview. It’s no surprise that here I am driving through Honolulu, thinking about what to wear during these kettlebell training sessions:

Aloha to everyone on Twitter! Thank you for tweeting me!

You know, I might be falling in love. Oh, I always get this way. I am totally infatuated with kettlebells after our first date… I mean, training session.

I went to BodyVox in Kapahulu to train with Bill Maeda. My friend Liz had trained with him in the past, so she and I decided to workout together.

Today was really just a getting to know you meeting. We discussed my goals (overall more healthy and 55 pounds lighter), my current fitness routine (none), and my weaknesses (chocolate. daily.) We even took my weight and measurements, which I am proud to display right here:

• Age 35
• Height 5′ 4″
• Weight 210.2
• Bust 44
• Waist 42 1/2
• Hips 49

I’m pretty excited that these last 6 days of stressing out about working out have caused me to lose 2 pounds and 1 1/2 inches! Woo hoo!

Back to my newfound infatuation. As you know, I met the kettlebell through a friend and I wasn’t interested… at first. But today, I got to actually put my hands on a 8kg kettlebell and learn how to properly hold it.

Isn't it cuuuuute?

We assessed what I’ll need to work on. Now, those of you who have tons of experience holding a kettlebell may have forgotten just how unwieldy it is. Even the word unwieldy sounds unwieldy; that’s how strange it was to carry a 17 pound round weight with my small hand wrapped around the solid metal handle, and try to avoid breaking my wrist. I think I held the kettlebell pretty well in the “racked” position.

We practiced some squats, holding the kettlebell upside down, also known as “bottom up,” and then holding it in the right-side-up position, also known as… you guessed it… “bottom down.”

Next, I did a few squats with the kettlebell in the racked position. Hello!? Anyone ever try to sit their butt down on  a chair while balancing 17 pounds on their left side? And then stand up and repeat until fatigued? Well, that’s exactly what I did. Four times is a challenge — five times  is where I had to draw the line.

Oh, I forgot to mention the “press!” How can I forget? This consists of you pushing your “racked” kettlebell up, such that your elbow is locked and the kettlebell is almost perpendicular to the ceiling. I’m making it sound a lot more complicated than it was. As difficult as it was for me, I enjoyed it!

As for stamina? I will definitely need to build my stamina up, but I was able to complete each exercise without hurting myself.

So, that’s the quick and dirty synopsis of my very first workout with an 8kg kettlebell. I felt great!

When I got home to start writing this blog, I was still in the clouds, feeling quite accomplished. I had to pause to run some errands, which is when I started to feel the effects of today’s session. My lower back, my sides, my calves, and muscles in my arm I didn’t even know existed started to ache.

The real test happened when I tried to pick up my little guy, and almost fell over. I couldn’t carry my 30 pound child! 

I got out my salonpas patches for my back and legs, and rubbed my now-aching neck. And that’s when I realized…

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It makes sense- on the day before my first kettlebell training session, I don’t really know what I’m getting myself into, so I’m excited and nervous.  Here I am, live and in living color, with my babybell and my sister’s real life kettlebell!

Enjoy the video blog: