Kettletell.com

Oh, for the love of kettlebells!

I hope that — for those of you who celebrate Valentine’s Day– February 14th was a day to cherish your loved ones; honor yourself; and spend time giving and receiving from the heart.

For me, Valentine’s Day in Hawaii also marked Lunar New Year! My favorite part of celebrating what is termed “Chinese New Year” in Hawaii is the Lion Dance.

Eating lots of treats used to be on the list, but now, I’m looking for more active ways to celebrate all holidays with my friends and family.

Which brings me to the next part of this blog- the “weigh in.” Really, my measurements have not been much different from week to week, so I’ve been eyeing the scale a lot more closely.

What I have noticed is that I’m finally at the point where I will know my weight based on how my clothes fit. Now that’s bordering on obsession. (My trainer would be so happy!)

There’s no significant difference in my weight and measurements from 2 weeks ago. (My trainer would be not so happy…)

At this rate, I’m not going to make it to 179. But remember my mottos:

Don’t Give Up!
and
It’s better to do a little bit of somethin’ than a whoooooole lot of nothin’!

So, “Happy Hearts Day!” Enjoy this season of aloha.

Please send me a comment below… your encouragement makes a huge difference in my attitude, behaviors and motivation!

It’s stats Sunday time.

I just finished 9 days of an Isagenix cleanse, so I was feeling pretty good. I had kettlebell practice with my trainer and my workout partner, and I’d been walking uphill with my 30-pound kid packed on my back, so I went into my office (aka the bathroom) to take my measurements and weigh in.

I’m a little disappointed:

I guess I shouldn’t be that disappointed; I did lose nearly 10 pounds! What is most exciting for me is that I lost an INCH on my hips! Woo hoo! I’ve had no progress in that area in weeks.

This leads me to believe that I did lose a significant amount of water during the cleanse, maybe 2 pounds. I’m not going to complain.

Next goal:  hit 179.

How about you?

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.

Aloha, and Mele Kalikimaka Kettlepeeps! (Hello and Merry Christmas, friends and people who enjoy using kettlebells!)

Here’s the latest in the ongoing drama that is kettletell:

Just so you can see what I was referring to in the video, here are my latest stats.

I can’t give up! It seems like I’m regressing, but I really have been working hard these last couple of weeks! I can’t wait for it to finally pay off!

Please leave a reply, words of encouragement, tips, comments and questions below.

Aloha!

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!