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Mid-March Weigh In and Measurements

Angela C. — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:06:53 +0000

Aloha, everyone!

I’d like to first thank everyone who has responded to me via e-mail, facebook, twitter and even by phone! (In this world of technology, who knew I could get feedback by phone?) Yes! I have decided to keep this blog, and just renewed my lease with my host, so I’m in this for the long haul.

Speaking of haul, I’ve been carrying a couple of extra inches over the last couple of weeks. I’m not entirely surprised, given my high stress to low workout ratio.

Here’s the strange thing. My weight went down!

This leads me to believe that I’m living proof that “muscle weighs more than fat.” Whew! Look at that body fat percentage. Aye yi yi!

To end on a positive note, I’ve started looking for inspiration in ordinary places. Since the tsunami scare in Hawaii at the end of February, I’ve been noticing the awesome power of Mother Nature.

I hope to incorporate more outdoorsy things in my exercise regimen soon.

Hey, if you’re a facebooker, please click on the link on the very bottom, right side of the page and become a fan of this blog! It’s free!

I wish you the best on your journey. Keep going!

The Isagenix Cleanse is Over!

Angela C. — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:29:26 +0000

Well, folks!

I did it my way, and it’s done… at least for the month of January. I started the Isagenix Pre-Cleanse on January 15th and already felt like a failure by the 16th.

I scooped myself back up (or actually, scooped some more chocolate shake up into my plastic shaker) and made my own plan. It went something like this:

* Coffee first thing in the morning, with non-fat milk and splenda
* Cleanse drink at work
* Nuts or apple slices as a snack
* Coffee break
* Chocolate shake on the drive home
* Snack-sized dinner or chocolate shake for dinner

Sometimes the nuts or apple slices turned into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat. Usually those were workout days. Sometimes the snack-sized dinner wasn’t that small. But I did avoid all desserts, sodas and meaningless munching.

I actually began to enjoy my routine and am considering implementing some sort of “cleanse” activity into every week. Stay tuned for that.

From Amy Mac's website

Here is an interesting digitally-enhanced picture I saw at www.withamymac.com. It shows a woman at size 16 and at a size 4.

When I started this journey, I was wearing a size 16W. And that was in designer clothing. I’m comfortably wearing size 14s now.

I have no desire to be a size 4, but this does give me a good visual representation of what I can achieve with effort, exercise, and everything in moderation!

When I get down to half my former size (that would be size 8), maybe I can do this pic for real!

Leave me a comment, and see you soon!

Isagenix Cleanse Days 2 – 8: Happy Medium

Angela C. — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:08:52 +0000

I’ve completed 8 days of the 9-day Isagenix cleanse, and I’m happy with my results thus far. That’s saying a lot, since I tend to have a lot of negative thoughts running around.

I think the key to staying upbeat and making progress is that I modified the cleanse to meet my needs, versus modifying my needs to meet the cleanse.

Some purists may disagree with my approach; but it works for me.

Basically, I stuck to the 2 -days of cleanse and 5-days of shake + 1 meal model, with one major modification. I snacked.

If you recall from my last post, having a snack left me feeling guilty and almost like a failure. I decided to keep going anyway.

Then I resolved to have a small, healthy snack in between every shake or cleanse. The result was that I was eating or drinking something throughout the day.

My only slip-up was when I broke that pattern one night to have dinner with my family. I over-indulged, and you can see it in my weigh-ins:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A7MYgLiCPw

I’m happy to report, though, I’m close to my end-of -January goal:

How are you doing with your goals? Please, leave me a message!

Starting anew in 2010

Angela C. — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:00:29 +0000

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.

My First Workout of 2010

Angela C. — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 11:48:46 +0000

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:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaygUps4QRc

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!

My New 30 Pound Weight Vest

Angela C. — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:15:45 +0000

I’m still taking long uphill walks in our neighborhood, but this time, I’ve added 30 pounds to my body. Wow! I can’t believe that 9 months ago, I was 30 pounds heavier! Take a peek:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_37oEsIVqo

Okay, it’s not really a weight vest (I’m still waiting for Warrior Hardware to import some to Honolulu), but it really is a workout. I love my kelty carrier, and my child loves being packed on my back.

I hope you’re also finding creative ways to incorporate your family into your exercise routine! Send me a comment below-- I look forward to hearing from ya!

Sunday Stats – The Holidays are Here!

Angela C. — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:09:30 +0000

Aloha, kettlecousins!

We celebrated Thanksgiving with a 20+ person party at our house – and that was just the immediate family! I hope that this past weekend was joyous for you as well, and that you embraced the spirit of gratitude, whether you are in the United States or not.

I definitely indulged in family, fun and food. I had stopped counting calories along the way, and unfortunately, it shows:

In this month that I haven’t been training at FitPro, I steadily lost the gains (or gained back the losses?) I had over a month ago! Talk about disappointing.

I can’t give up– I just can’t!

I’ve found a new training partner, and also renewed my joy for walking up mountains.

I also got a kelty carrier for my toddler to join me and see the world from outside of a stroller.

My holiday job has me on my feet for 6 – 8 hours a day, away from the computer, cell phone and other time wasters. This holiday season, I’ve also decided to give up diet soda, and drink plain, refreshing H2O.

My workout partner challenged me to hit 179.0 pounds by Christmas. It’s an ambitious goal. I started to reaffirm myself, and the latest quote I have posted in my room is:

“179 pounds tastes better than any dessert!”

I don’t think dessert in general is horrible, and I’m not a fan of deprivation (obviously).

Since I love desserts so much, including a recent affair with pumpkin-themed sweets, I decided that I will focus on making a clear choice to eat dessert, or any other sugary food choice.

I can allow myself to consciously choose to eat a sweet, rather than having it and pretending I didn’t by not counting it. I just need to factor it in with the other food I’ve eaten, and weigh it out.

If I’m just having a craving (or an emotional desire to eat a particular thing rather than a physical need for it) I can focus on the success I will achieve by working through it. If I just can’t pass on the dessert, I’ll have a small amount, and count it.

Each food choice, big and small, has affected my weight. Combine that with a total lack of kettlebell training in the four weeks preceding this one, and I’m disheartened, but not surprised at the results.

I could go on and on about what I haven’t done that’s led me to this point, but instead, I’ll make a list of what I can do now that will propel me towards my goal:

Kettlebell training, minimum 20 minutes, five times a week before work
Cardio with Kai in the kelty carrier, five times a week when I get home from work
A salad a day (or other mix of healthful vegetables)
Daily multivitamin
8 glasses of water a day
Pause and think before I choose to eat a sweet
Track everything on the blackberry

That about covers it. If I can manage to do even 70% of what’s on this list, I’ll see good results. If I do everything on this list– consistently– I’ll see great results.

Who else is with me? Leave me a comment! Mahalo!

Sunday Stats

Angela C. — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:23:58 +0000

Hey folks!

It’s been a strange week. I either had the stomach flu or food poisoning. I didn’t work out all week. I counted calories every single day, using my blackberry. And I ended up with the exact same measurements as the week before, but a pound less:

I’ll do a video progress update soon. For now, I’m just happy that some of my clothes are fitting me loosely!

Thanks for following! Be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list with the link above, or just by sending an e-mail to subscribe@kettletell.com — you’ll get updates whenever I send one! (And remember, kettletell does not spam!)

Kettlebell Bench Press, Swing and Jumping!

Angela C. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:57:27 +0000

I started working out daily again. It feels great!

I decided to focus on the workout rather than making a great video, or even timing myself. Today’s workout looks like this:

Warm Up
1 mile walk

Circuit (x3)
Bench Press with 12kgs, alternating x 10
20 Swings with 16kg
10 modified burpees (only horizontal jumps)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s6C0_Z9pgY

Here are some random things I noticed: 1) My pants are saggin’. I need some new workout clothes! 2) Although I’m distracted, I also enjoy having my son with me when I’m working out. It makes it more fun! 3) Too much time off from working out in between training sessions makes me slower and less happy.

How ’bout you? How’s your workout going?

Leave me a comment! :)

Jump! Lift! Swing! Kick!

Angela C. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:28:26 +0000

There’s not a lot of fancy titles on this video, since Liz and I went to FitPro Hawaii to get one thing done. Work out!

We started out jumping on the plyometric boxes- alternating 10 jumps. This was the first time we had done this kind of a warm up before, and three sets was quite enough for me!

Next, we did a series of static exercises with the 12kg kettlebells, followed by swings. Our circuit went like this:

15 curls
10 tricep curls
20 swings

To finish, we got to beat up our trainer. I didn’t put that on the video, though. Take a look:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttbYFzzx3uk

[ad]

At the end, we both had raw knuckles. It wasn’t pretty.