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Hey, everyone out there in kettlebell world!

I don’t feel very qualified to talk about staying happy, but I think that this is probably the most important topic I will every post on this blog.

How many of you who are working out, watching what we eat, and reading everything possible on health and nutrition still pause momentarily before stepping on the scale? I find that the moments leading up to my weekly weigh in may be the most anxiety-provoking in my week.

Maybe I’m taking my weigh in a little too seriously. Or maybe, just maybe, I experience complete fear around the thought of not reaching my goal and then reporting it on the world wide web… and far worse… to my accountability partner.

I found that there are two types of people in this world:  those that are motivated by fear, and those who are immobilized by fear. Where do you stand?

Unfortunately, I belong in the latter group. When I am afraid of losing something, especially something I’ve been dedicated to and personally invested in, I just want to pull my head back in my turtle shell.  With that being said, here’s today’s weigh in:

While I am closer to my 2/28 goal, I already know that I’m not going to make it. So, how do I keep my head above water and keep pushing forward?

Through action and interaction.

Here’s what I’ve learned from this process:  I need you! I need you to keep me accountable, because sometimes, I don’t want to do it.

In all of my adult life, I feel like I’ve been seeking this –  someone to rely upon when I just want to throw the sweaty towel in.

I’ve gone down many roads (I could write a blog on my MLM experiences alone!) seeking out partnership. I think having someone (or ones) as my partner(s) is truly the key to my personal happiness.

Then, as it states, right there in the beginning of the word partnership, I need to do MY part:

I have to practice forgiveness, especially of myself. I can start without saying “I have to” and move into “I choose to.”

I can take responsibility for my actions. For example, I chose to eat those peanut butter cookies, nobody put them in my stomach!

I can prepare.  Here’s where my Personal Trainer at FitPro Hawaii comes in. He helps me develop short and longer term goals, as a road map of my journey.

And I can celebrate my successes, large and small. Just to keep myself going, I’m going to take a look at my before and afters. Here are some clips from videos past:

May 29, 2009.

May 29, 2009.

Feb 21, 2010

Feb 21, 2010

Light shines on me

So, to wrap this up– in the future, will I stay happy when the weight on the scale is barely changing and my clothes sizes are not getting any smaller? With your support, yes I can! Mahalo!

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?

Have you ever noticed that as soon as you set an ambitious goal, obstacles appear?

My hurdle occurred on Day #1 of my Isagenix cleanse this month, in the form of a kid’s bean burrito.

You may be thinking to yourself, “That’s not that hard to say ‘no’ to!” Unless you’re me and you haven’t eaten solid food in 2 days.

Add to that the challenge of living in a household where you come home to dessert baking in the oven or delivered to the door from a loving friend, and you’ve just entered a minefield. Anywhere I step, I’m running into something that could blow this cleanse out of the water:  fresh baked banana mufffins, Hawaiian food, a bean burrito.  Check it out:

Well, at least I stuck with the original plan, avoided the kalua pig (my downfall last time), had a laugh with my sister about all the food in the house, and moved on.

Sometimes, I just need a minute to review, renegotiate and recommit to my goal.

How about you? What are you taking on and what’s been challenging you? Leave me a reply below!

Hey, kettlepeeps!

Have you ever looked back at small pieces of your life and felt pretty good about it? I find that I usually don’t give myself kudos for small accomplishments, but today, I am.

I’m happy that I haven’t given up on myself in my quest to lose weight and gain healthy habits. I moved my goal date from October 30,2009 (with a 55lb loss) to June 30, 2010 (with a 70 pound loss) and I believe I will do it.

I’ve always lacked a sense of confidence (if you couldn’t tell) when it came to physical activity. I avoided competitive sports, even bowling, until I was well out of college.

I’ve always held at least two jobs, or a job and a side-job, which kept me perpetually running around. I “worked out,” but usually that meant a group class, like high impact aerobics, or my own mix of cardio and body weight training. I’ve only felt comfortable in my own skin with dance, or more specifically (non-competitive) hula.

I started and stopped Weight Watchers after moderate success. I really gave up on working out and meal planning when I was pregnant with my son.

Not surprisingly, these things took a toll on my overall health and well-being.

As of May 2009, I decided to take on something new, set a goal, and strive for it publicly.

I don’t have to be perfect, in fact, who is? But I can hold myself accountable and have some fun while I’m at it. Enter kettlebells.

I started training at FitPro Hawaii, and made some solid gains (or losses) over the past 8 months. It’s been a bumpy ride, and I’m back in the 190s, but I’m still progressing:

My new workout partner, Ty, and I have decided that we are going “ballistic.” To him, this means being able to hike up a mountain wearing a weight vest. For me, this means getting off my tush and making sure I do something, even a little thing, each and every day.

And, there’s friendly competition there. No, I’m not aiming to do as many push ups as he does. But I am working hard to be consistent and show up where I need to be, no complaints.

In 2010, I’m tackling my eating habits. It will be a challenge, Lord help me. But it can be done.

And you-- I’m really curious-- what are you leaving behind, and what are you looking forward to?

Leave me a comment! And thanks for joining me on this journey. 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!