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!

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, Kettlepeeps!

After my birthday, it was tempting to feel proud. I had been working hard for 6 months, and had a modicum of success.

I could fit clothes that I had bought when I moved to Hawaii and soon “grew” out of. I was meeting with my personal trainer and also working out on my own.

Surely, this was cause for celebration?

Unfortunately, I allowed myself a bit too much leeway. I eased up on my home workouts and stopped tracking what I ate. I started a couple of new ventures and spent less time blogging. And I started eating things I had previously avoided.

Here’s the results for this week:

I’m back to my weight and size as in August! Talk about a roller coaster!

Yes, I’m frustrated. Sigh.

But I’m not giving up! Here’s what a friend of mine wrote on facebook recently:

you know… i wish all clients were like you. you set realistic goals, you know that it’s usually a 2 steps forward, 1 step back kinda deal, and more than anything, you accept that and never give up. i’ve given up on myself and people in general when it comes to health and wellness… but your kettletell story gives me inspiration and hope. thanks angela! and happy thanksgiving..

I’m going to keep reminding myself that  success is not always a straight course, and it may not look like what I expect!

Realistic Doll Based on Average American Woman

I heard a great metaphor for this. A plane doesn’t fly in one straight line from Point A to Point B. A pilot makes minor adjustments all along the route, so that it looks more like a series of jagged lines:

So, while this may be a bit more turbulent than I expected, it’s all in the plan.

Thanks for continuing to follow me at kettletell. I am always happy to hear from you, so please leave me a reply below!

Folks, I’m on a quest. I’m looking for the magic balance between food taken in and energy expended that will equal pounds and inches shed.

If you recall, last week Tuesdaay my trainer challenged me to lose a minimum of one pound every week. (I’m assuming, that is, until I hit one of my goals!) He’s threatened — I mean, motivated — us with an extra dollar added permanently to our session rate. I don’t like paying late fees, bank fees and parking tickets, so this is actually a good technique!

I started using a food diary and have meticulously entered everything in into it. This weekend, I’m looking up my favorite places, such as Yogurtland, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and, yes, McDonald’s grilled chipotle bbq snack wrap (no cheese) and entering all of the nutritional info.

According to the website, at a sedentary level of activity, my calorie intake should be 1900 kcals per day in order to lose one pound a week. At a moderate level of activity, my calorie intake should be 2200 kcals a day to lose one pound a week.

There’s also an “exercise diary,” where I can log in my activity and number of minutes. Unfortunately, there’s no “kettlebells” in the options. Kettlebell workouts are part weight lifting, but not 100%.

To solve this problem, I’m just using the “weight lifting” category and foregoing any rewards from the extra work done in my kettlebell workouts.

The same issue is occurring in my food diary. What if, for example, I put a cup of food down but don’t end up finishing it? Or I share with my son? Oh well. Again, it’s better to over-estimate my consumption and under-estimate my activity at this point in the game.

Here’s how everything’s looking so far (Tuesday and Wednesday were erased):

I have tracked my food issues down to the snacks I’m choosing. Yesterday, I went to a potluck, and tried to pick the healthiest options… which still left me feeling hungry and over in calories. The solution? Bring my own healthy food with me!

I’ve been staying up pretty late, too! What does that mean? I’m hungry at, oh, midnight. I’ve never been a midnight snacker, but lately, I’ve been dipping into these World Gourmet Veggie Garden Straws, 2 servings at a time. Sabotage!

I guess a trip to the store and pre-packing my snacks in appropriate portions will help.

Here are my actual stats for the week:

I’ve never been happier to weigh 191.2 pounds! Wheeeeeeee!

Thanks for visiting!

More video blogs will be posted here, and on you tube soon. Leave me a comment. : )